Fast preprocessing algorithms for digital mammography CAD and workstation

A method for detecting and determining the positions of borders in a mammogram image, the method comprising:

• receiving a mammogram image;
• duplicating a left portion, a right portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion of the mammogram image, each portion defined as a percentage of the mammogram image;
• applying a Sobel filter with a first kernel to the right and left portions and with a second kernel to the top and bottom portions;
• normalizing the filtered left, right, top, and bottom portions;
• utilizing a probabilistic Hough transform to detect a left edge, a right edge, a top edge, and a bottom edge in the left, right, top, and bottom portions respectively;
• and
• forming a border for the mammogram image by using the detected left, right, top, and bottom edges.

A method for segmenting a pectoral muscle region from a full breast segmentation of a mammogram image, the method comprising:

• applying a Gaussian blur to the mammogram image to smooth a pixel profile representing a breast skinline;
• applying a Sobel filter to the image;
• eroding the image to remove the pixel profile representing the breast skinline;
• selecting the upper two-thirds of the image;
• utilizing a probabilistic Hough transform to detect a plurality of pectoral muscle edges;
• and
• forming and smoothing a pectoral muscle segmentation border utilizing the plurality of pectoral muscle edges.