Determination of adipocyte size by computer image analysis.

Methods that allow rapid and accurate determination of adipocyte size are important to studies of energy and glucose metabolism. The direct measurement of adipocyte size by microscopy is widely used, although the method is tedious and time consuming. Computer-assisted image analysis can overcome most of the disadvantages associated with this technique. We report a new method for determining adipocyte size by measuring the cross-sectional area of adipocytes with computer image analysis. This method allows a large number of adipocytes to be measured rapidly with computer hardware and software that are readily available.