Fast imaging in flow: a means of combining flow-cytometry and image analysis.

The morphological identification of cells by flow cytometry is difficult. Usually cell sorting and microscopical analysis have to be used in addition. Morphological analysis is simplified by taking cell pictures from a range of particular interest immediately during flow cytometric analysis. Instruments using the video scanning technique for fluorescence imaging are slow and expensive (8, 10). Morphological information can also be obtained by transmission imaging of cells in flow, which requires shorter exposure times. Therefore a cell volume activated flow imaging device has been developed which operates at flow speeds up to 5 m/sec and which depicts transmission images of selected cells on a 16-mm film by a nsec flashlamp illumination. An electronic unit detects the particles in the optically accessible orifice, performs the pulse height analysis, triggers the flashlamp if particles are in the preselcted range of interest and feeds the film. The instrument is capable of delivering up to 150 pictures per second and works either as a flow microscope in which the cells in the preselected volume range are directly observed, or as a picture system in which the cell pictures are stored on the 16-mm film for documentation or for image analysis.