A method, apparatus and computer program product are hereby provided to detect anatomical elements in a medical image. In this regard, the method, apparatus, and computer program product may receive a test image and generate a classified image by applying an image classifier to the test image. The image classifier may include at least one decision tree for evaluating at least one pixel value of the test image and the classified image may include a plurality of pixel values. Each pixel value may be associated with a probability that an anatomical element is located at the pixel location. The method, apparatus, and computer program product may also evaluate the classified image using an anatomical model to detect at least one anatomical element within the classified image.