1. A method for computer aided detection of medical abnormalities in x-ray medical images comprising the steps of: processing a digital or digitized x-ray medical image to remove distinguishing effects of at least one operating parameter or physical characteristic of an x-ray device used to form said x-ray medical image, thereby forming a processed x-ray medical image; and processing said processed x-ray medical image with a computer aided detection algorithm that has been optimized with a plurality of x-ray medical images that have been similarly processed with respect to the same operating parameter(s) or physical characteristic(s).