Computer-aided detection system for clustered microcalcifications in digital breast tomosynthesis using joint information from volumetric and planar projection images

Phys Med Biol. 2015 Nov 7;60(21):8457-79. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/21/8457. Epub 2015 Oct 14.

Abstract

We propose a novel approach for the detection of microcalcification clusters (MCs) using joint information from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) volume and planar projection (PPJ) image. A data set of 307 DBT views was collected with IRB approval using a prototype DBT system. The system acquires 21 projection views (PVs) from a wide tomographic angle of 60° (60°-21PV) at about twice the dose of a digital mammography (DM) system, which allows us the flexibility of simulating other DBT acquisition geometries using a subset of the PVs. In this study, we simulated a 30° DBT geometry using the central 11 PVs (30°-11PV). The narrower tomographic angle is closer to DBT geometries commercially available or under development and the dose is matched approximately to that of a DM. We developed a new joint-CAD system for detection of clustered microcalcifications. The DBT volume was reconstructed with a multiscale bilateral filtering regularized method and a PPJ image was generated from the reconstructed volume. Task-specific detection strategies were designed to combine information from the DBT volume and the PPJ image. The data set was divided into a training set (127 views with MCs) and an independent test set (104 views with MCs and 76 views without MCs). The joint-CAD system outperformed the individual CAD systems for DBT volume or PPJ image alone; the differences in the test performances were statistically significant (p < 0.05) using JAFROC analysis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Calcinosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / methods*
  • Humans
  • Mammography / methods*
  • Radiographic Image Enhancement / methods*