Histomorphometric analysis: comparative study of manual and digital image analysis using reproductive organ as a model.

A preliminary analysis of the histological features of testes was carried out on vertical serial sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin techniques. The total spermatogonia per view and areas of seminiferous tubules by means of digitizing the tissue followed by morphometric analysis using software run on a personal computer. The data generated was then compared with traditional manual determinations made by using the ocular scale as well as the x and y coordinated on the light microscope. The data obtained showed that the modified Image Pro system for digitizing and data analysis allowed for high-resolution acquisition of the images as well as relatively high sensitivity of image integration. The results also show more accuracy and repeatability of sampling and a decrease in sampling error between repeated measures compared with the conventional manual measurements. Overall, the use of modified Image Pro digital technology will offer a more accurate and quantitative method to perform routine histomorphometric analysis, as well as allow for repeated measurements of the same sample from several reviewers in a blinded fashion with substantially less error.