title: Fractal geometric analysis of material from molar and non-molar pregnancies.
abstract: Histological sections from 25 non-molar pregnancies, nine partial hydatidiform moles, and 16 complete hydatidiform moles were examined (diagnosis was taken as the consensus of seven experienced histopathologists) and the fractal dimension was measured using a box-counting method implemented on a microcomputer-based image analysis system. The fractal dimensions of the different diagnostic categories were normally distributed with a mean of 1.50 for non-molar pregnancies, 1.44 for partial moles, and 1.42 for complete moles. All the measured fractal dimensions were greater than the topological dimension (1), demonstrating that the specimens had a fractal element to their structure. There was a significant difference between the fractal dimensions of non-molar pregnancies and complete moles (P = 0.0005), but not between partial moles and non-molar pregnancies (P = 0.0823) or complete and partial moles (P = 0.4400). Using the fractal dimension to predict the histopathological diagnosis assigned 56 per cent of the cases to the correct category with a kappa statistic of 0.26, so the fractal dimension, used alone, is not a useful morphometric discriminant in the diagnosis of molar and non-molar pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Sheffield Medical School, U.K.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Howat
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Underwood
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D006828:Hydatidiform Mole / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008838:Microcomputers; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*