Measurement of Breast Density on Digital Mammograms

We built a estimating system of individual breast density from digital mammograms by using breast tissue equivalent phantoms that are able to change the mixture ratio of adipose and glandular tissue and the thickness. The method was compared with a visual assessment of breast density by the radiologists as a gold standard. The clinical image data set that consisted of 49 mammograms of 21 patients were analyzed. The average of the estimated glandular rate was 35.0%, while varying from 12.0% to 67.0%. This system can apply in clinical practice such as the visual estimation of breast density