Method for obtaining a quantitative representation of the cell morphology of a biological tissue.

摘要

In examining the progress of patients before and after a cataract operation, all data can be computed upon the morphology of cornea endothelium cells for use of medical treatment, from a cornea endothelium cell image with less labor. Positional data of center points of two-dimensionally continuous cells of a cornea endothelium cell image are entered into a computer. Center points of the cells within a specified distance from a given center point are sorted clockwise (101-104). If an angle formed by two angularly successive points and the center point is less than a specified angle, the point having the greater distance from the center point is excluded (105-113). If the distance between the first point and the third point of three angularly successive points is shorter than the distance between the given center point and the second point, the second point is excluded (114-122). In this way, for each given cell a set of peripheral points which are center points of cells directly adjacent to the given cells is obtained. The average distances between the peripheral points and the center point of each given cell are determined (123). A perpendicular line that proportionally divides the distance between a center point and any of its peripheral points proportional to the ratio of their average distances to the peripheral points is determined, and intersection points of the resulting perpendicular lines are determined as vertices of the polygonal outline of the cells (124-131). Thus, morphological data are computed from the obtained vertices (132).