Analysis of microvascular network in bulbar conjunctiva by image processing.
A digital image processing procedure has been developed for obtaining quantitative morphometric data on the microcirculatory network in the human bulbar conjunctiva. Highlights of this semi-automated approach include: 1. extraction of morphometric information that cannot be readily obtained by manual methods--length, diameter, and diffusion distributions; 2. speed and consistency in data generation--only 10 minutes are required to scan and to analyze 6.7 mm2 of conjunctiva microvasculature. The variation was less than 5% when images of the same area in the same eye were subjected to analysis at different times; 3. avoid the human bias factor--the data obtained by repeated analysis of the same negative varied by less than 0.02%.
D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000033:anatomy & histology