Free-Response Receiver Operating Characteristic Evaluation of Lossy JPEG2000 and Object-based Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees Compression of Digitized Mammograms

PURPOSE: To assess the effects of two irreversible wavelet-based compression algorithms—Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) 2000 and object-based set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT)—on the detection of clusters of microcalcifications and masses on digitized mammograms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The use of the images in this retrospective image-collection study was approved by the institutional review board, and patient informed consent was not required. One hundred twelve mammographic images (28 with one or two clusters of microcalcifications, 19 with one mass, 17 with both abnormal findings, and 48 with normal findings) obtained in 60 women who ranged in age from 25 to 79 years were digitized and compressed at 40:1 and 80:1 by using the JPEG2000 and object-based SPIHT methods. Five experienced radiologists were asked to locate and rate clusters of microcalcifications and masses on the original and compressed images in a free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) data acquisition p...