Quantitative distinction of the morphological characteristic of erythrocyte precursor cells with texture analysis using gray level co‐occurrence matrix

摘要

Background Morphological characteristics of blood cells are still qualitatively defined. So a texture analysis (Tx) method using gray level co‐occurrence matrices ( GLCM s; CM ‐Tx method) was applied to images of erythrocyte precursor cells ( EPC s) for quantitatively distinguishing four types of EPC stages: proerythroblast, basophilic erythroblast, polychromatic erythroblast, and orthochromatic erythroblast. Methods Fifty‐five images of four types of EPC s were downloaded from an atlas uploaded by the Blood Cell Morphology Standardization Subcommittee ( BCMSS ) of the Japanese Society of Laboratory Hematology ( JSLH ). Using in‐house programs, two types of GLCM s—(R: d=1, θ=0°) and (U: d=1, θ=270°)—and nine types of texture distinction index ( TDI ) were calculated with images removed outer part of cell. Results Three binary decision trees were sequentially divided among four types of EPC with the sum average of GLCM (U), the contrast of GLCM (R), and the sum average of GLCM (U). The average concordance rate (sensitivity) of CM ‐Tx method with the judgments of eleven experts in the BCMSS of the JSLH was 95.8% (87.5‐100.0), and the average specificity was 97.6% (92.5‐100.0). Conclusions The CM ‐Tx method is an effective tool for quantitative distinction of EPC with their morphological features.