Preprocessing of Digital Mammogram Image Based on Otsu’s Threshold

Mammograms are difficult images to interpret. Hence, a preprocessing stage is very important to standardize the mammogram image along with the reduction of its size, and improve the quality of image in order to produce reliable image for CAD system. The proposed technique of preprocessing involves removal of unwanted parts from background of the mammogram, removal of pectoral muscle, and image enhancement. Binarization based on Otsu’s threshold is a main process in all preprocessing steps. Multi-level thresholding applied to segment the pectoral muscle, and level three shows perfect results of pectoral muscle segmentation. A propose method applied on 160 images from MIAS database. Using of level-three multi-thresholding technique, the success rate was 96% in mammogram preprocessing stage.