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An indexed atlas of digital mammograms for computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer

Un atlas indexé des radiographies du sein: Aide au diagnostic de cancer du sein

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Abstract

Computer-aided diagnosis (cad) systems are being developed to assist radiologists in the interpretation of ambiguous mammographic features corresponding to possible signs of early breast cancer. Databases of digital mammograms are needed for testing such systems; we present an overview of a few such databases. Most databases are limited to single-exam sets of two or four mammograms on which the diagnosis was made, some ground-truth information related to the position of diagnostically significant mammographic features, and the diagnosis. We propose the design of a comprehensive, indexed atlas of digital mammograms. The design of an appropriate indexing scheme facilitates the implementation of content-based retrieval techniques needed for efficient access to and retrieval of relevant cases from the atlas.

We also propose the use of mobile software agents for facilitating remote consultation of the atlas. Mobile agents can move between data sources such as the atlas and hospital repositories, perform computational tasks at each site, and return only relevant data to the user. These features reduce the computational requirements of the local computer system, bandwidth requirements, and overall network traffic. Proposed applications of the atlas include research, remote consultation, teaching, evaluation ofcad systems, and self-evaluation by radiologists.

Résumé

Les systèmes d’aide au diagnostic (Computer-Aided Diagnosis,cad) sont développés pour faciliter le travail des radiologues en matière d’interprétation des images mammographiques dans l’objectif d’une détection précoce de cancer du sein. Pour la validation de tels systèmes, on a besoin de bases de données de radiographies numérisées du sein; nous présentons un aperçu de quelques bases de données. La plupart des bases de données se limitent à des ensembles de deux à quatre images sur lesquelles un diagnostic a été réalisé, quelques réalités de terrain (ground truth) concernant les caractéristiques significatives des mammographies, et les diagnostics. Dans cet article, nous proposons la conception d’un atlas indexé et détaillé des radiographies du sein. La conception d’un plan d’indexation propre facilite l’implémentation des techniques de recherche basées sur le contenu informationnel (Content-Based Retrieval) dont on a besoin pour un accès efficace et rapide aux cas pertinents contenus dans l’atlas.

Nous proposons aussi l’utilisation du concept d’agent logiciel mobile pour faciliter la consultation à distance de l’atlas. Les agents logiciels mobiles peuvent se déplacer entre les différentes sources d’information comme l’atlas et les systèmes d’information hospitaliers, faire des calculs à chaque site et envoyer ensuite les seules informations pertinentes à l’usager. Ces caractéristiques vont réduire les exigences des ordinateurs locaux, les exigences en bande passante et le trafic numérique. Les applications de l’atlas comportent la recherche, la consultation à distance, l’enseignement, l’évaluation des systèmes decao, et l’auto-évaluation par les radiologues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., T2N IN4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Hilary Alto, Rangaraj M. Rangayyan & J. E. Leo Desautels

  2. Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., T2N IN4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Rangaraj M. Rangayyan

  3. Electronic Systems Engineering, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, S4S 0A2, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Raman B. Paranjape

  4. Screen Test, Alberta, 120, 1040 7 th Avenue S.W., T2P 3G9, Calgar, Alberta, Canada

    J. E. Leo Desautels

  5. Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Alberta Cancer Board, 1 331-29 th Street N.W., T2N 4N2, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Heather Bryant

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  1. Hilary Alto
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  2. Rangaraj M. Rangayyan
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  3. Raman B. Paranjape
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  4. J. E. Leo Desautels
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Alto, H., Rangayyan, R.M., Paranjape, R.B. et al. An indexed atlas of digital mammograms for computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer. Ann. Télécommun. 58, 820–835 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03001532

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