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Quantifying Fibrillar Collagen Organization with Curvelet Transform-Based Tools
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A validated software application to measure fiber organization in soft tissue
Erica E Morrill1, Azamat N Tulepbergenov2, Christina J Stender1
1Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-2085, USA.
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology
|March 7, 2016
Summary
The fast Fourier transform (FFT) band-pass filter method accurately quantifies collagen fiber networks in soft tissues. A new software, FiberFit, uses this method for reliable analysis of tissue mechanobiology.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Soft connective tissue mechanical behavior relies on extracellular matrix fibrillar proteins.
- Accurate characterization of fibrous networks requires extracting structural parameters like fiber orientation and dispersion from imaging data.
- Existing methods like fast Fourier transforms (FFT) and structure tensors have limited accuracy validation for fiber parameter quantification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy of FFT and structure tensor methods for quantifying fiber parameters in soft connective tissues.
- To develop and validate a free software application, FiberFit, for automated analysis of collagen fibril organization.
- To assess the impact of image preprocessing steps, such as grayscale conversion, on analysis accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of FFT with a band-pass filter and structure tensor methods using test images of fiber networks.
- Development of FiberFit software utilizing FFT band-pass filtering and fitting fiber orientations to a von Mises distribution.
- Application of FiberFit to analyze collagen fibril organization in confocal images of bovine ligament at varying magnifications, including grayscale conversion preprocessing.
Main Results:
- The FFT method with a band-pass filter demonstrated superior accuracy in measuring mean fiber orientation and fiber dispersion compared to the structure tensor method.
- The structure tensor method showed approximately five times lower accuracy for fiber dispersion measurement than the FFT band-pass method.
- Grayscale conversion prior to FFT analysis yielded the most accurate results for both mean fiber orientation and fiber dispersion in confocal images.
Conclusions:
- The FFT band-pass filter method, implemented in the FiberFit software, provides an accurate and automated approach for analyzing collagen fiber organization in soft tissues.
- This validated software tool can advance the mechanistic understanding of collagen networks and the mechanobiology of soft tissue remodeling and repair.
- Automated analysis of fibrous networks is crucial for clarifying soft tissue behavior and improving therapeutic strategies.
