Atrophic rhinitis: snout morphometry for quantitative assessment of conchal atrophy

Morphometric methods, either point counting or semiautomated planimetry, can be applied to photographic or impression prints of sections of the pig snout to measure the extent of conchal atrophy on a continuous scale as a morphometric index. Though relatively time consuming, the technique yields highly repeatable parametric data which do not depend heavily on expert, subjective judgment. It is therefore particularly suitable for quantitative analysis of the effects of experimental treatments or changes in management.