Semiautomated methods for cancellous bone histomorphometry using a general‐purpose video image analysis system

Abstract

SUMMARY Semiautomated methods are used to measure elongated, curved and complex branching profiles and isolated perimeter segments in monochrome video images with a general‐purpose analysis system. These methods are used to make the major primary measurements of bone histomorphometry. Accuracy and reproducibility of the image acquisition, processing and measurement system is documented by measuring a semicircular standard of known dimensions. Semiautomated applications of the Ar/Le method for measuring areas and perimeters, and calculating lengths and widths of osteoid seams, lengths of mineralization labels and mineral apposition rate, wall width, indirect measurements of eroded, osteoclastic and osteoblastic perimeters without tracing, and measurement of mineralized or total cancellous bone area and perimeter gave values comparable to measurements of the same parameters by tracing or grid counting techniques with equal or better reproducibility and much greater efficiency. Intraindividual variation in measuring multiple bone biopsies was comparable to that reported with current standard methods. Major sources of variability for semiautomated methods were image magnification and selection of profile edges by thresholding, and sources of variability for manual methods are image magnification, numbers of orthogonal intercepts, tracing speed and accuracy of the algorithm used to measure traced pixels. Semiautomated methods are accurate, reproducible and rapid methods suitable for bone histomorphometry.

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Cyclically Impairs Long Bone Trabecular Modeling in Experimental Persistently Infected Fetuses

“…20 The resulting nondecalcified semithin sections were ground down to 30-mm thickness for assessment of formation parameters. Femoral middiaphyseal cross sections were prepared by embedding the sample in Sample-Kwick (Beuhler, Ltd) and sectioning on an IsoMet saw (Beuhler).…”

Assessment of Tissue Ingrowth Rates in Polyurethane Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

“…To the authors' knowledge, no reports exist in current literature employing the same method for assessment of tissue ingrowth. Although numerous other histomorphometric studies measure ingrowth distance unidirectionally and measure ingrowth area, 34 we account for multidirectionality of ingrowth by using ingrowth zones, which has not been done previously in large scaffolds. Theoretically, small differences in ingrowth rate will be detected more reliably using ingrowth zones as compared with histomorphometric methods that measure the overall ingrowth area in an entire sample.…”

Preliminaryin vivo studies on the osteogenic potential of bone morphogenetic proteins delivered from an absorbable puttylike polymer matrix

“…A Board Certified Pathologist using an Image I Video Analysis System (Universal Imaging Corporation, West Chester, PA) performed histomorphometric analysis according to published methods, 18,19 as previously described. The total implant and bone areas were measured in the H&E histologic sections.…”

“…18,19 Defect boundaries were traced with a mouse-driven cursor on video images on the display monitor with a hand-held mouse. Features of interest within each field were selected by thresholding gray levels between 0 (black) and 255 (white).…”