Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Voss.
Automated image analysis for tumour classification has proved to be a method not only for complex and reproducible tumour classification but also for information on particular behaviours of the tumour concerned. The methods now available and expanded for automatic analysis are described.
Described in this paper is an automated approach to histological diagnosis of tumours (urinary bladder). This approach actually substitutes individual analysis and classification of a tumour for a formalistic consideration and is likely to offer the clinician a better decision-finding aid for therapeutic approach to the individual case.
8 astrocytomas grade 1-4 and 2 glioblastomas were investigated by a system of automated microscope picture analysis. Histograms of nuclear area and shape from more than 1,000 measured nuclei per tumor were analysed. Both one- and two-dimensional histograms show findings which correlate with the malignant potential of the gliomas. The nuclear area rises with increasing tumor malignancy. On the other hand the measurements of nuclear shape factor are inversely related to the level of malignancy, indicating substantial irregularities in the nuclear structure. The 2D-histograms of both measured parameters also show changes which are correlated with the grade of tumor malignancy and which can be described as shift, loss of compactness and enlargement. The histogram method is discussed as an objectifiable process characterizing important cell and nuclear attributes connected with tumor malignancy. Histograms of both, nuclear area and shape can be helpful in the classification and grading of astrocytomas and glioblastomas.
We used the automated microscopic image analysis (system "Robotron A 6471"; software AMBA/R) to study the ductal epithelium in biopsies from 88 patients with fibrocystic breast disease, including 52 with proliferative mastopathy. Significant differences were demonstrated using reproducible data and selective caryo- and histometric parameters which allowed the separation of ductal hyperplasia and ductal cell proliferation with atypia. In addition, multiparameter analysis indicated that cases with proliferative mastopathy III can be separated into two groups which have probably a different high risk with respect to carcinoma.
Studies were undertaken on biopsies from urinary bladder papillomas and urothelial carcinomas of different grades (G1-G3) along with normal urinary bladder mucosa from a total of 145 patients. They were performed by use of automated microscopic image analysis (system Robotron A 6471; software AMBA/R) and resulted in making objective the tumor grading and lead to the detection of both papillomas and G1-carcinomas with high proliferating activity. In addition, we were able to separate the G2-carcinomas into two groups which probably show different biological behaviour. They cannot be discriminated by conventional morphological methods but their existence is consistent with clinical observations.
The tissue concentration of zinc was studied in normal and uremic rats. Differences between the groups only reached significance when either parathyroid hormone or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 were administered. Uremic rats having obtained these compounds showed a significantly higher concentration of zinc in their liver, whereas their serum content of zinc was decreased.
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A system of automated microscopic picture analysis was used in an examination of 272 gliomas (70 glioblastomas, 91 astrocytomas, 56 pilocytic astrocytomas or spongioblastomas , and 55 oligodendrogliomas). The specimens were prepared as Feulgen sections, 4 microns in thickness. Thirteen morphometric-densitometric parameters of tumor cell nuclei were tested together with two mitotic parameters. Objective and reproducible data on numerical nuclear density ( KRNZ , AREA), nuclear size ( KOFL , KFRL , P250 ), nuclear shape ( FOFK , FOFR , P150), optical density ( EXTU , EXTS , EXSR , EXTM , EXMR ), and mitotic activity ( MITZ , VHMK ) of the gliomas were obtained from the morphometric-densitometric parameters. All gliomas but glioblastomas were subdivided by four tumor grades. The morphometric-densitometric and mitotic data recorded were statistically checked, depending on tumor grade (Student's t-test, Wilcoxon's test, alpha = 0.05). Numerical nuclear density, deformation of nuclei, and mitotic activity were found to grow with significance along with increasing tumor grade up to glioblastoma. The relative standard deviation (SD) of nuclear size ( KFRL ), relative SD of shape factors ( FOFR ), and relative SD of extinction sums ( EXSR ) are high-accuracy parameters for the pathologist to describe variability of sizes, polymorphism, and polychromasia of nuclei. These parameters show a significant increase of values in parallel with rising tumor grade, with maximum values being recordable from cases of glioblastomas. In cases of astrocytomas, optical values of nuclei decrease along with rising tumor grade. The data thus obtained were used as reference values for objective, reproducible automatic glioma grading. The classifier method, described in an earlier publication, proved to be more effective than the regression method.
In a foregoing paper, an attempt has been described to quantify the neovascularization in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) by using the method of automatic image analysis. In this case 5 to 10 min were necessary to measure the neovascular response of one CAM preparation (i.e. to obtain a value for the degree of angiogenesis). The accuracy of reproducibility of the measurements was about +/- 20%. In this paper, we describe a new method which only requires about 55 seconds for the measurement of one specimen with an accuracy of about +/- 12%.
An attempt has been made to quantify the vascular response in the CAM by using the method of automatic image analysis. In order to obtain a measure for the divergence of preparations with radial capillary growth from unchanged CAM preparations the lengths of radially arranged capillaries were measured, the relative frequency computed and compared with that of radially arranged capillary pieces in normal CAM preparations. The areal difference between both histograms is used as a measure for the grade of neovascularization Investigations performed to test the reproducibility and reliability of this measuring method have given a measuring accuracy of about +/- 20%; this value is comparable with that found by the method of radial vessel counting. The mean values of samples each consisting of 10 preparations obtained by the method of vessel counting and by the automatic measurement correlate quite well (r = 0.97). Angiogenic responses of different grades were produced in the CAM by dropping calf plasma on the CAM surface in amounts between 1 and 10 microliter. Although the individual values in the single groups vary within a wide range, a dose-response-relationship could be established both by the automatic measurement and by the method of radial vessel counting. Further improvements of the measuring procedure and a shortening of the measuring time from 5-10 min to 1 min or less could make this automatic method very suitable for the quantification of vascular responses in larger experimental series.
Hexcelite Orthopaedic Tape can be used effectively for splinting thumb joints. The open weave material is easily molded, lightweight, and durable. It is useful in the rehabilitation management of a variety of thumb disorders and is well accepted by patients.
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Tumours of the neuroglia, 172 in all (50 glioblastomas, 65 fibrillar and gemistocytic astrocytomas, 26 pilocytic astrocytomas and 31 oligodendrogliomas), were studied by automated microscopic picture analysis. Thirteen morphometric and densitometric parameters of the tumour cell nuclei as well as two mitotic parameters were determined on 4 micrometers thick Feulgen slide preparations. The correlation of the results with subjectively established grade of malignancy was examined. A close correlation was found between almost all morphometric-densitometric nuclear parameters and the morphologically established behaviour of the tumours under study. Based on these results both the method of automated microscopic picture analysis and the selected parameters have been assessed as efficient for the evaluation of the behaviour of glial tumours. The results are readily reproducible and can be obtained without requiring much time. An other advantage of this method is the use of histological preparations, which allows a comparison of the overall structure of the tumour as well as a pinpointed examination of those regions that are representative of the tumour. Subjective grading of glial tumours has been greatly objective by automation.
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An unusual case of a recurrent and metastasizing meningioma in a 59-year-old female patient is reported. 11 years before death the woman had undergone craniotomy. The necropsy revealed a recurrent intracranial tumor and a solitary metastasis in the adrenal gland. Karyometric investigations were carried out on Feulgen-stained microscopic slides using an image processing system described previously. The frequency distributions and correlation diagrams of parameters for nuclear size and shape did not show any significant difference between the intracranial tumor and adrenal metastasis. There is no karyometric or visual evidence for dedifferentiation in the metastasis. The findings emphasize the role of craniotomy in extracranial dissemination of meningiomas.
The relative RNA-content of liver cell nuclei from histological slides of rat liver was determined by automatical microscope picture analysis. The slides were stained with Gallocyanin-Chromealum. Extinction measurements are made before and after perchloracid extraction of RNA for the same slide. The changes of extinction measurements caused by the changes of slide thickness and of tissue inhomogeneity could be lowered using this method.
In the present paper, methods of automatic image processing were used for a fine structural differentiation of lymphocyte subpopulations in purified non-labelled lymphocyte suspensions from peripheral blood. It was found that lymphocyte subpopulations differ in several morphological features which have been generated from the whole cell as well as from the nucleus. In general, these differences are greater than those attributed to individual deviations as well as as to influences from the preparation. As found by immunological methods, the composition of morphologically determined subpopulations corresponds to T- and non- T-cells. A preliminary functional interpretation fo the morphological differences is discussed.
A simple, intuitive procedure for the stepwise classification of objects in n-dimensional feature spaces is presented. Each classification step is based on a single feature decision and provides an optimal separation of the objects of only one class from the objects of all other classes. The algorithm of this procedure is implemented on a minicomputer of an image-analysis system. Testing of the classifiers on biomedical data (213 slides of diseased and normal liver tissue) yielded good results requiring few decisions and threshold parameters: 152 correct classifications, 16 incorrect classifications and 45 rejections.