When digital mammograms are viewed on video displays, evaluation of th
e skin and subcutaneous tissue is often difficult and may require spec
ial window settings. An algorithm has been developed for selective en
hancement (ie, density correction) of the dark peripheral portions of
the breast on mammograms, After an automated segmentation of the digit
al mammogram and identification of the skin line, a fitted enhancement
curve is generated to selectively enhance all pixels within a certain
distance from the skin to match the density of the center part of the
breast. After enhancement, skin and breast parenchyma can be evaluate
d simultaneously without the need for different window settings. When
tested on a set of 400 digitized mammograms, the density correction al
gorithm significantly (P < .0001) increased the maximum area of breast
tissue visualized simultaneously at window width settings of 0.5-2.0
Delta OD <optical density). Artifacts interfering with interpretation
were observed in less than 1%, The algorithm for correcting the densit
y of peripheral breast tissue substantially facilitates and improves t
he display of digital mammograms and thus will be a valuable component
of an integrated workstation for computer-aided diagnosis in mammogra
phy.