[An improved imaging analysis for quantitative measurement of brain slice volume].
To improve computer-assisted imaging analysis for quantitatively measuring brain slice volume of rats and mice in comparison with conventional measuring methods,and to evaluate its usefulness in assessment of focal cerebral ischemia.



The accurate volumes of rat and mouse brain slices were measured by weight and special gravity measuring. The areas of brain slices were measured by imaging analysis, then the slice volumes of right and left hemispheres were calculated by multiplying the adjusted thickness of the slices. In addition, the brain slice volumes of right and left hemispheres from focal cerebral ischemic mice were compared to assess ischemic injury using the imaging analysis.



Area measurement by computer-assisted imaging analysis was linear with different accurate areas (r=1.000). Slice volumes measured by imaging analysis correlated well with the accurate volumes measured by special gravity method, r=0.809 (n=45, P<0.001) in rats, and r=0.844 (n=74, P<0.001) in mice. The brain volumes in ischemic hemispheres were larger than in non-ischemic hemispheres in ischemic mice.



Computer-assisted imaging analysis can measure the brain slice volumes accurately and compare right and left hemisphere volumes quantitatively.
Liang
Ze-hua
ZH
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310031, China.
Wei
Er-qing
EQ
Zhu
Chao-yang
CY
Zhang
Shi-hong
SH
Xu
Hui-min
HM
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley