Image structure representation and processing: a discussion of some segmentation methods in cytology.

Image processing methods (segmentation) are presented in connection with a modeling of image structure. An image is represented as a set of primitives, characterized by their type, abstraction level, and a list of attributes. Entities (regions for example) are then described as a subset of primitives obeying particular rules. Image segmentation methods are discussed, according to the associated image modeling level. Their potential efficacity is compared, when applied to cytologic image analysis.