title: Measurement of functional microcirculatory geometry and velocity distributions using automated image analysis.
abstract: This study describes a new method for analyzing microcirculatory videos. It introduces algorithms for quantitative assessment of vessel length, diameter, the functional microcirculatory density distribution and red blood-cell (RBC) velocity in individual vessels as well as its distribution. The technique was validated and compared to commercial software. The method was applied to the sublingual microcirculation in a healthy volunteer and in a patient during cardiac surgery. Analysis time was reduced from hours to minutes compared to previous methods requiring manual vessel identification. Vessel diameter was detected with high accuracy (>80%, d > 3 pixels). Capillary length was estimated within 5 pixels accuracy. Velocity estimation was very accurate (>95%) in the range [2.5, 1,000] pixels/s. RBC velocity was reduced by 70% during the first 10 s of cardiac luxation. The present method has been shown to be fast and accurate and provides increased insight into the functional properties of the microcirculation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.g.dobbe@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: J G G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dobbe
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Streekstra
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Atasever
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Zijderveld
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ince
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D047549:Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D018715:Microscopy, Video / Q000379:methods; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000098:blood supply*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012985:Software Design