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A simple method for automatically locating the nipple on mammograms
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A simple method for automatically locating the nipple on mammograms

R. Chandrasekhar and Y. Attikiouzel
IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Vol.16(5), pp.483-494
1997
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Abstract

This paper outlines a simple, fast, and accurate method for automatically locating the nipple on digitized mammograms that have been segmented to reveal the skin-air interface. If the average gradient of the intensity is computed in the direction normal to the interface and directed inside the breast, it is found that there is a sudden and distinct change in this parameter close to the nipple. A nipple in profile is located between two successive maxima of this parameter; otherwise, it is near the global maximum. Specifically, the nipple is located midway between a successive maximum and minimum of the derivative of the average intensity gradient; these being local turning points for a nipple in profile and global otherwise. The method has been tested on 24 images, including both oblique and cranio-caudal views, from two digital mammogram databases. For 23 of the images (96%), the rms error was less than 1 mm at image resolutions of 400 μm and 420 μm per pixel. Because of its simplicity, and because it is based both on the observed behavior of mammographic tissue intensities and on geometry, this method has the potential to become a generic method for locating the nipple on mammograms.

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Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.119 Breast Cancer Scanning
1.119.583 Breast Cancer Imaging
Web Of Science research areas
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Imaging Science & Photographic Technology
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
ESI research areas
Clinical Medicine
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