title: Quantitative assessment of epidermal Langerhans cells using automated image analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Langerhans cells play a central role In the skin immune system. Quantitative changes have been observed in a variety of dermatological conditions. This paper presents a user-independent automated measurement procedure for Langerhans cells in vertical skin sections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frozen sections were stained immunohistochemically with a CD1 monoclonal antibody. Counterstaining was performed with Mayer's hematoxylin. An image analysis procedure was developed, which automatically recognizes the area occupied by the epidermis and the CD1 -positive structures, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The procedure was tested on specimens of normal skin and of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. The results significantly reflect the decrease of Langerhans cells in the latter condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed image analysis program facilitates a fully automated measurement of immunohistochemically stained epidermal structures in vertical skin sections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smolle
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hofmann-Wellenhof
keywords: CD1; Langerhans cell; image analysis; immu-nohistology; morphometry