Computer assisted leukocyte adhesion measurement in intravital microscopy.

The pathogenetic role of the leukocytes in the development of postischemic injury is not yet understood. Therefore a model was developed which allows for in vivo quantification of leukocyte-endothelium interaction in the awake animal. The velocity of leukocytes was measured by means of intravital microscopy and interactive digital image analysis. An adhesion coefficient (AC) was calculated which characterizes the degree of the leukocyte-endothelium interaction. A special procedure of automatically taking image samples for the leukocyte velocity measurement reduces observer bias. As shown in a validation experiment, this procedure yields reproducible results and therefore allows to quantify the influence of prophylactic and therapeutic measures on postischemic leukocyte-endothelium interaction.