Paper # 056

Versión en Español

Fibrosis HR, a New Image Analysis Application for Automatic Quantification of Liver Fibrosis.

Francisco O'Valle, Trinidad Caballero, Alejandro Pérez Milena, Raimundo M.G. Del Moral, Raimundo G. Del Moral.

Department of Pathology, School of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain

Dpto. de Anatomía Patológica, Facultad de Medicina, Avda. de Madrid 11 - 18012 Granada, SPAIN

[Introduction] [Materials & Methods] [Results] [Pictures] [Discussion] [Bibliography]

Summary

 

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is one of the most important histological changes characteristic of progressive and chronic liver diseases. Thus, both in clinical and experimental practice, it is fundamental to have a reliable and objective method for its precise quantification. Several semiquantitative grading systems to evaluate the hepatic fibrosis have been described thus far. All produce not precise and to a certain extent subjective fibrosis evaluations. This paper describes design of an original image analysis-based application, Fibrosis HR, for automatically quantifying portal-periportal and lobular fibrosis and portal-periportal morphology in the same liver histological preparation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The image processing algorithms here described automatically segment interstitial hepatic fibrosis and most significant portal vessel and biliary duct lumen areas, while portal-periportal region extraction is achieved by a mathematical morphology automatic algorithm and a simple interactive step. All extracted areas are automatically quantified in absolute (µm²) and relative (%) values. The developed method and its automatic implementation ensure that Fibrosis HR produces objective, fully reproducible, precise and reliable quantifications without requiring specifically trained personnel.

CONCLUSION: The image analysis application reported here is an easy-to-use instrument for rapidly quantifying liver fibrosis and portal-periportal morphology in the same histological preparation. Therefore Fibrosis HR facilitates the evaluation of fibrosis in different liver diseases, representing a very interesting contribute for the evaluation of their treatment and for hepatic clinicopathological research.

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Marco Masseroli is a postdoctoral fellow of the Pathology Departament of the School of Medicine of the University of Granada, where he develops image analysis applications in histopathological videomicroscopy. Granada, besides being world wide known for the Alhambra monument, is the most important university town of the Andalucía region. Located in the south of Spain enjoys the vicinity both of "Costa del Sol" and "Sierra Nevada".

Key Words: Liver fibrosis, Portal-periportal morphology, Image processing, Automatic quantification.

In Spanish:

• Introduction
• Materials & Methods
• Results
• Pictures]
• Discussion
• Bibliography

Marco Masseroli, Ph.D.
Copyright © 1997, Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Facultad de Medicina y Hospital Universitario, Universidad de Granada, 18012 Granada, España. Reservados todos los derechos.