Automatic chromosome analysis. I. A simple method for classification of B- and D-group chromosomes represented by band transition sequences.

This paper describes an approach to the automatic analysis of banded B- and D-group chromosomes, represented by band transition sequences (BT-sequences), using Bayes formula in a simple way. The analysis considers the 14 BT-codes constituting the BT-sequence as being independent variables. Error rates of 6-8% in classification experiments and 3-4% in karyotyping experiments are clearly smaller than those reported by other authors using other methods. If the error rates of karyotyping are adjusted for errors in the basic material, they are reduced to 2-3%. The reason for the small error rate is presumably that the BT-sequences are superior to other methods for condensed band-pattern description. The method will be incorporated into a programme system for automatic karyotyping.