Histomorphometric analysis of critical-sized bone defects using Osteomeasure and Aperio systems

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Author(s)
Medeiros Savi, Flavia
Lawrence, Felicity
Hutmacher, Dietmar Werner
Woodruff, Mia
Bray, Laura Jane
Wille, Marie-Luise
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2019
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Most histological evaluations of critical-sized bone defects are limited to the analysis of a few regions of interest at a time. Manual and semi-automated histomorphometric approaches often have intra- and inter-observer subjectivity, as well as variability in image analysis methods. Moreover, the production of large image data sets makes histological assessment and histomorphometric analysis labour intensive and time-consuming. Herein, we tested and compared two image segmentation methods: thresholding (automated) and region-based (manual) modes, for quantifying complete image sets across entire critical-sized bone defects, ...
View more >Most histological evaluations of critical-sized bone defects are limited to the analysis of a few regions of interest at a time. Manual and semi-automated histomorphometric approaches often have intra- and inter-observer subjectivity, as well as variability in image analysis methods. Moreover, the production of large image data sets makes histological assessment and histomorphometric analysis labour intensive and time-consuming. Herein, we tested and compared two image segmentation methods: thresholding (automated) and region-based (manual) modes, for quantifying complete image sets across entire critical-sized bone defects, using the widely used Osteomeasure system and the freely downloadable Aperio Image Scope software. A comparison of bone histomorphometric data showed strong agreement between the automated segmentation mode of the Osteomeasure software with the manual segmentation mode of Aperio Image Scope analysis (bone formation R2 = 0.9615 and fibrous tissue formation R2 = 0.8734). These results indicate that Aperio is capable of handling large histological images, with excellent speed performance in producing highly consistent histomorphometric evaluations compared to the Osteomeasure image analysis system. The statistical evaluation of these two major bone parameters demonstrated that Aperio Image Scope is as capable as Osteomeasure. This study developed a protocol to improve the quality of results and reduce analysis time, while also promoting the standardization of image analysis protocols for the histomorphometric analysis of critical-sized bone defect samples.
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View more >Most histological evaluations of critical-sized bone defects are limited to the analysis of a few regions of interest at a time. Manual and semi-automated histomorphometric approaches often have intra- and inter-observer subjectivity, as well as variability in image analysis methods. Moreover, the production of large image data sets makes histological assessment and histomorphometric analysis labour intensive and time-consuming. Herein, we tested and compared two image segmentation methods: thresholding (automated) and region-based (manual) modes, for quantifying complete image sets across entire critical-sized bone defects, using the widely used Osteomeasure system and the freely downloadable Aperio Image Scope software. A comparison of bone histomorphometric data showed strong agreement between the automated segmentation mode of the Osteomeasure software with the manual segmentation mode of Aperio Image Scope analysis (bone formation R2 = 0.9615 and fibrous tissue formation R2 = 0.8734). These results indicate that Aperio is capable of handling large histological images, with excellent speed performance in producing highly consistent histomorphometric evaluations compared to the Osteomeasure image analysis system. The statistical evaluation of these two major bone parameters demonstrated that Aperio Image Scope is as capable as Osteomeasure. This study developed a protocol to improve the quality of results and reduce analysis time, while also promoting the standardization of image analysis protocols for the histomorphometric analysis of critical-sized bone defect samples.
View less >
Journal Title
Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods
Copyright Statement
This is a copy of an article published in the Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods. © 2019 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods is available online at: http://www.liebertonline.com.
Subject
Biochemistry and cell biology
Biomedical engineering