Digital synthesis of microcalcifications on digital mammograms

Abstract

We propose a model to simulate clustered microcalcifications on digital mammograms. The simulation model is based on the gray-level, size and number of microcalcifications per cluster. All the parameters describing the individual microcalcifications and clusters were randomly sampled within a wide range of values, the exception being the center of the cluster; this was interactively positioned to ensure the location of all the microcalcifications inside the breast. Subsequently, a database of clustered microcalcifications was created. These clusters of microcalcifications from this database were tested from indistinguishability from real ones. Two radiologists and one physicist were asked to indicate wether the microcalcifications were either real or simulated. Results ( χ 2 test) indicate that there was not statistical and significant difference between real and simulated clustered microcalcifications.