DETECTION OF BLOOD VESSELS IN BREAST USING MATCHED FILTERS

Abstract

Now-a-days a variety of edge detection algorithms exist in literature, but they do not always lead to acceptable results in extracting various features in an image. In this paper, we address the problem of detecting blood vessels in breast images. Blood vessels usually have poor local contrast and the application of existing edge detection algorithms yield results which are not satisfactory. We introduce an operator for feature extraction based on optical and spatial properties of objects to be recognized. The gray level profile of the cross section of a blood vessel is approximated by a Gaussian shaped curve. The concept of matched filter detection of signals is used to detect linear segments of blood vessels in these images. The automatic detection of blood vessels could help physicians in diagnosing diseases.