A novel automatic microcalcification detection technique using Tsallis entropy & a type II fuzzy index

This article investigates a novel automatic microcalcification detection method using a type II fuzzy index. The thresholding is performed using the Tsallis entropy characterized by another parameter ‘q’, which depends on the non-extensiveness of a mammogram. In previous studies, ‘q’ was calculated using the histogram distribution, which can lead to erroneous results when pectoral muscles are included. In this study, we have used a type II fuzzy index to find the optimal value of ‘q’. The proposed approach has been tested on several mammograms. The results suggest that the proposed Tsallis entropy approach outperforms the two-dimensional non-fuzzy approach and the conventional Shannon entropy partition approach. Moreover, our thresholding technique is completely automatic, unlike the methods of previous related works. Without Tsallis entropy enhancement, detection of microcalcifications is meager: 80.21% Tps (true positives) with 8.1 Fps (false positives), whereas upon introduction of the Tsallis entropy, the results surge to 96.55% Tps with 0.4 Fps. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.