title: Automated Measurement of Blood Vessels in Tissues from Microscopy Images.
abstract: The quantification of tunica media thickness in histological cross sections is a ubiquitous exercise in cardiopulmonary research, yet the methods for quantifying medial wall thickness have never been rigorously examined with modern image analysis tools. As a result, inaccurate and cumbersome manual measurements of discrete wall regions along the vessel periphery have become common practice for wall thickness quantification. The aim of this study is to introduce, validate, and facilitate the use of an improved method for medial wall thickness quantification. We describe a novel method of wall thickness calculation based on image skeletonization and compare its results to those of common techniques. Using both theoretical and empirical approaches, we demonstrate the accuracy and superiority of the skeleton-based method for measuring wall thickness while discussing its interpretation and limitations. Finally, we present a new freely available software tool, the VMI Calculator, to facilitate wall thickness measurements using our novel method. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dandachi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.|Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Dmitry A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Goncharov
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.|Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Andressa Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Pena
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Josiah E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Radder
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Alyssa D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.|Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Yen-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Adriana S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Leme
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.|Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Gladwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.|Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Elena A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Goncharova
authors.affiliation: Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Claudette M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: St Croix
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001331:Automation; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D066253:Vascular Remodeling
keywords: morphometry; pulmonary hypertension; wall thickness