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Methods for microcalcification detection of breast cancer on digital tomosynthesis mammograms

  • US 8,977,019 B2
  • Filed: 02/11/2011
  • Issued: 03/10/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method for detecting a microcalcification cluster in reconstructed volumes of a three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image, comprising:

  • receiving, at a computing device, a three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image;

    reconstructing, at the computing device, the three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image to create a reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image;

    enhancing, at the computing device, a microcalcification candidate in each slice of the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image to obtain an enhanced three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image by simultaneously;

    1) determining a multi-scale calcification response for each voxel (x,y,z) of the microcalcification candidate, and2) one of;

    a) enhancing a signal-to-noise ratio of a microcalcification in the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image, orb) enhancing a signal intensity of the microcalcification in the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image;

    wherein the multi-scale calcification response includes;

    a) filtering the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image with a plurality of smoothing filters where an amount of smoothing for each smoothing filter is determined by a scale, and the plurality of filters includes a set of scales;

    b) finding a calcification response at each voxel of the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image for each scale of the set of scales, where, among the set of scales, the calcification response at a central voxel of a three-dimensional microcalcification is higher when the scale is such that a shape of the smoothing filter approximately matches a shape of the three-dimensional microcalcification; and

    c) combining, among the set of scales, each calcification response using a non-linear operator at each voxel of the reconstructed three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image; and

    detecting, at the computing device, potential individual microcalcifications that form a microcalcification cluster within the enhanced three-dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis image.

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