Image processing in pathology. XI. Light microscopic discrimination of human peripheral blood lymphocyte...

Non-labelled lymphocytes in peripheral blood smears and in smears of purified lymphocyte suspensions were differentiated in T- and non-T-cells (controlled by E-rosetting assay and surface immunoglobulin detection) by automatic image processing at the light microscopic level. By various classification methods it was found that these lymphocyte subpopulations differ in several visual and subvisual morphologic features. The morphologic differences between subpopulations were superimposed by individual deviations as well as by influences from the preparation. Single features were strongly affected by exogenic factors. Most of the different features are comparable with fine structural differences, as previously reported.