HOME: Highly optimized microscope environment

Abstract

The Highly Optimized Microscope Environment (HOME) is a computerized microscope designed to assist pathologists and cytotechnicians in clinical routine tasks. The prototype system consists of a IBM-PC compatible computer and a light microscope in which a built-in highresolution computer display image is superimposed on the optical image of the specimen. Also, a manually operated encoding stage and objective turret encoder are used to provide continuous monitoring of the stage coordinates and microscope magnification to the computer. This allows any position on a slide to be uniquely defined and makes it possible to measure interactively lengths and areas larger than the size of the microscope field. Software, written in the C language and operating under the MS-DOSMS-Windows environment, is controlled by means of a mouse-driven cursor moving over menu light-buttons displayed on the microscope image. The HOME microscope workstation is potentially useful in a wide range of applications such as i) tagging information on particular cells and tissue structures that can thus be accurately located and relocated, ii) performing morphometric measurement, differential counting, and stereological assessment of biological specimens, and iii) training and educating laboratory personnel. Finally, HOME will offer in the near future a userfriendly interface for automatic image processing of cells and tissue entities in interactively selected specimen areas.Key terms: Microscopy, image cytometry, image histometry, computerized microscopy In modern hospitals, the pathology laboratory plays a n essential role in the diagnosis and prognosis of most serious diseases, and therefore in the subsequent medical decision-making and health care for the patient. In spite of this essential role, pathology practice has to date remained relatively untouched by recent developments in information technology: routine pathology is still carried out largely by microscopic examination of specimens by the pathologist, followed by the reporting of his opinion concerning the appearance of the specimen back to the requesting clinician. While this is satisfactory for the majority of specimens, for most types of pathological sample there is a "grey area" containing some specimens for which the result is not clear and is therefore subjective, unreliable, and poorly reproducible [lo].One approach to improving the diagnosis for such specimens is the introduction of quantitative analysis. Counting is the first quantitative approach which has been used extensively in haematology (differential white blood cell count), tumour pathology (mitotic index), and hormonal cytology (pycnotic index). Several other quantitative techniques for pathology have been investigated extensively for many years. Interactive computer morphometry, in which the user can delineate lengths and areas on a projected microscope image using a digital tablet or similar instrument, has been found to be diagnostically useful in many types of tumour pathology, bone pathology, and muscle patholo...

The effects of testosterone and oestrogen on gonadectomised and intact male rat anterior pituitary mitotic and apoptotic activity

“…The dedicated real-time computer system used (AxioHOME, Zeiss (Brugal et al 1992)) projects a virtual image of a computer screen fractionally above the histological section. Different identifier tags manually placed over normal, mitotic or apoptotic cells remain in registration with the targets irrespective of subsequent stage movements and magnification changes.…”

Anterior pituitary trophic responses to dexamethasone withdrawal and repeated dexamethasone exposures

“…Apoptotic and mitotic cell counts were performed on 2 µm-thick H&E-stained rat pituitary sections at 1000 magnification with the aid of a dedicated real-time computer system to tag and tally the co-ordinates and trophic assignment of manually identified structures within each tissue section (Nolan et al 1998). The computerised Highly Optimised Microscope Environment (AxioHOME, Zeiss (Brugal et al 1992)) that was used, projects a virtual image of the computer screen which appears fractionally above the actual microscope image and allows different markers to be laid down over apoptotic, mitotic or normal cells by hand. The system retains a cumulative score of the numbers of each cell type counted, together with the co-ordinates of each individually marked cell irrespective of subsequent movement of the microscope stage or changes in power of the objective lens.…”

Quantitative classification of breast fine needle aspirates using the AxioHOME system

“…Other applications can be carrying out the same measurement on breast FNA Slides prepared by liquid based technology. The system can also be developed to be used in forming part of Grid Technology for information sharing, training, expert opinion, and quality assurance for the remote practitioner by telepathology (Brugal et al, 1992;Gotler et al, 2006).…”

“…Fifty ductal epithelial cells on areas of minimum nuclear overlap were circled for analysis on each slide using the General Morphometry Programme on the Highly Optimised Microscope Environment (The AxioHOME System) (Brugal et al, 1992). This is a computerized microscope designed to assist pathologists and cytotechnologists in routine clinical tasks.…”