A segmentation technique to detect masses in dense breast digitized mammograms

This article describes a segmentation technique that uses the watershed transformation to provide mass detection in dense breast digitized images. The technique consists of four steps: preprocessing, which isolates the breast from the image background; histogram equalization to enhance the contrast; watershed transformation, which calculates the gradient for the whole image; and a topography technique that organizes the segmented parts. We processed 109 regions of interest extracted from mammograms. Preliminary results showed 20% false positive and 85.4% true positive detection regarding the equalized images containing masses. Good results were obtained with this technique. However, additional techniques should be developed to eliminate noise in some images. This technique could be an important tool in mammography.