title: Computer-assisted stereology: point fraction of lung parenchyma and alveolar surface density in fetal and newborn sheep.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of a new computer-assisted stereological technique in obtaining structural information of the lung. We compared the point fraction of lung parenchyma (Pp) and alveolar surface density (Sv) obtained by established manual point/intercept counting methods and compared them with those obtained using a computer-assisted method. Lung tissues obtained from normally grown fetal sheep (n = 6) and from newborn lambs with severe lung hypoplasia (n = 5) were inflation fixed via the trachea and processed for light microscopy. In verification-of-technique experiments, Pp and Sv correlated well with known values. There was a significant linear correlation between manual and computer-assisted stereological measurements for values of Pp (r2 = 0.92) and Sv (r2 = 0.98). Our data lead us to believe that the computer-assisted stereological technique described in this study provides accurate estimates of Pp and Sv and hence may be a valuable tool for evaluating the effects of factors upon structural development of the lung.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Institute for Surgical Science and the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. daveym@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hedrick
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Adzick
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Flake
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Doolin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005333:Fetus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology; D010780:Photogrammetry / Q000379:methods*; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012756:Sheep