Developing and Using Computational Frameworks to Conduct Numerical Analysis and Calculate Temperature Profiles and to Classify Breast Abnormalities

Abstract

In this chapter, computational tools that have been designed to analyze and classify infrared (IR) images will be presented. The function of such tools is to interconnect in a user-friendly way the algorithms that are used to map temperatures and to classify some breast pathologies. One of these performs texture mapping using IR breast images to relate temperatures measured to the points over the substitute tridimensional geometry mesh. Another computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool was adapted so that it could be used to evaluate individual patients. This methodology will be used when the computational framework approach for classification is described. Finally, graphical interfaces and their functionalities will be presented and explained. Some case studies will be presented in order to verify whether or not the computational classification framework is effective.