title: Quantification of capillary blood cell flow using reflectance confocal microscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a new tool for skin microcirculation. However, the measure of quantitative blood cell flow (QBCF) has not been standardized. We studied the inter-investigator and the intra-capillary reproducibility of the manual measure of QBCF on IVCM videos and investigated if a software program might help measure QBCF and be sensitive to vascular occlusion tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  The inter-investigator reproducibility of the manual QBCF was evaluated on 107 videos. The intra-capillary reproducibility of QBCF measured manually and by 2 semi-automatic procedures based on Image J software analysis was evaluated on 19 capillaries. One of the semi-automatic methods (peaks of luminous intensity) was also used to measure the QBCF during vascular occlusion tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The manual measure did not show a good inter-investigator reproducibility (Pearson's coefficient <0.5). The 'peaks of luminous intensity' method was found to have a good intra-capillary reproducibility and to be sensitive to vascular occlusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differently from the manual count, the count of peaks of luminous intensity by Image J software seems to be promising to measure QBCF. The future is to create software allowing for real-time measure of the QBCF based on the peaks of luminous intensity inside the capillaries recorded by IVCM.
authors: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Saint Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Cinotti
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Gergelé
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Perrot
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Dominé
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Labeille
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Borelli
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Cambazard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D008857:Microscopy, Interference / Q000379:methods*; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D012984:Software
keywords: Image J; blood cell; capillary; in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy; microcirculation; quantitative blood cell flow; reflectance; skin