Morphological characterization of colorectal pits using autofluorescence microscopy images

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent pathologies. Its prognosis is linked to the early detection and treatment. Currently diagnosis is performed by histological analysis from polyp biopsies, followed by morphological classification. Kudo?s pit pattern classification is frequently used for the differentiation of neoplastic colorectal lesions using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stained samples. Few articles have reported this classification with image software processing, using exogenous markers over the samples. The processing of autofluorescence images is an alternative that could allow the characterization of the pits from the crypts of Lieberkühn, bypassing staining techniques. Objective: Processing and analysis of widefield autofluorescence microscopy images obtained by fresh colon tissue samples from a murine model of CRC in order to quantify and characterize the pits morphology by measuring morphology parameters and shape descriptors. Methods: Two-dimensional (2D) segmentation, quantification and morphological characterization of pits by image processing applied using macro programming from FIJI. Results: Type I is the pit morphology prevailing between 53 and 81% in control group weeks. III-L and III-S types were detected in reduced percentages. Between the 33 and 56% of type I was stated as the prevailing morphology for the 4th, 8th and 20th weeks of treated groups, followed by III-L type. For the 16th week, the 39% of the pits was characterized as III-L type, followed by type I. Further, pattern types as IV, III-S and II were also found mainly in that order for almost all of the treated weeks. Conclusion: These preliminaries outcomes could be considered an advance in two-dimensional pit characterization as the whole image processing, comparing to the conventional procedure, takes a few seconds to quantify and characterize non-pathological colon pits as well as to estimate early pathological stages of CRC.