Analysis of pressurized resistance vessel diameter changes with a low cost digital image processing device.

A low cost digital image processing device (frame grabber) together with a program running under MS_WINDOWS for automatic on-line analysis of diameter changes of in vitro pressurized blood vessels with an inner diameter of 80-400 microns is presented. The frame grabber is designed to receive light microscopic images either from a video camera or from a VCR and to present the digitized image on the computer monitor. The special software allows to manipulate the image, e.g. filtering, calibrating, storing of vessel images, and detects the outer and inner border of the two vessel walls with a new, simple algorithm. The inner diameter and the vessel wall thickness are calculated and the diameter is presented in a diameter versus time diagram on the monitor screen. Further, these data are stored in an ASCII-file for later import into calculation and presentation programs like MS-EXCEL.