Patent ID: 7231071

Claim:
An abnormal shadow detecting system comprising: a characteristic value calculating means which calculates a characteristic value on the shape and/or the density of a prospective area of a micro calcification shadow set in an image of an object on the basis of image data representing the image of the object, wherein the characteristic value comprises at least one of a first threshold value at the time at which the number of prospective points of micro calcification extracted from the prospective area reaches a predetermined number, the difference between the first threshold value and a second threshold value at the time at which a first prospective point is extracted, the total volume of the predetermined number of prospective points extracted by the use of the first threshold value, the dispersion in size of the predetermined number of prospective points extracted by the use of the first threshold value, the dispersion in density of the predetermined number of prospective points extracted by the use of the first threshold value, the sum-square of the high frequency component signals of the part of the image of the object after subjected to FFT corresponding to a central region of the prospective areas, a first frequency at which one-dimensional response in the frequency space after the FFT becomes not larger than a predetermined value for the first time, the coefficient of variation of the dispersion in lengths in a plurality of directions of the prospective point at the center of the prospective area from its center of gravity, and the maximum length of the prospective point at the center of the prospective area; and a discriminating means which discriminates whether a micro calcification shadow really exists in the prospective area on the basis of the calculated characteristic value.