True L D
Department of Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, 98195-6100, USA.
Hum Pathol. 1996 May;27(5):450-67. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(96)90089-1.
The components of the cell and tissue changes in many diseases are variable and can therefore be quantified. Characterization of these quantitative changes provides data that is useful not only for making a definitive, cell- and tissue-based diagnosis of disease, but also for predicting the course of disease. The spectrum of changes found in malignant tumors, ie, cell grade, architecture, cellularity, extent of invasion, nature and extent of inflammatory reaction, exemplify this range of quantifiable features. The diagnosis and prognosis of nonneoplastic diseases, ie, myopathy and metabolic bone disease, can also be determined by quantitating tissue changes. Morphometry is the quantification of changes in the "objects" of tissues, ie, cells and organelles, and their organization, using quantitative evaluation tools. The principles of morphometry have been known for a century. With the increasing availability of affordable, powerful computer systems and increasingly flexible and user-friendly software has come easier ability to measure these changes. This article discusses the principles of morphometry with illustrations of types of analysis (ie, area fraction, object counting, shape and size analyses, and mutliparametric analyses) using examples of these applications with discussions of error sources and limitations of morphometry.
许多疾病中细胞和组织变化的组成部分是可变的，因此可以进行量化。对这些定量变化的特征描述所提供的数据，不仅有助于基于细胞和组织做出明确的疾病诊断，还能用于预测疾病进程。恶性肿瘤中发现的一系列变化，即细胞分级、结构、细胞密度、浸润范围、炎症反应的性质和程度，就是这种可量化特征的例证。非肿瘤性疾病，如肌病和代谢性骨病的诊断和预后，也可以通过对组织变化进行定量来确定。形态计量学是使用定量评估工具对组织中的“对象”，即细胞和细胞器及其组织结构的变化进行量化。形态计量学的原理已经为人所知一个世纪了。随着价格合理、功能强大的计算机系统越来越普及，以及软件越来越灵活且用户友好，测量这些变化变得更加容易。本文讨论形态计量学的原理，并通过分析类型（即面积分数、对象计数、形状和大小分析以及多参数分析）的示例进行说明，同时讨论这些应用的示例、误差来源和形态计量学的局限性。
