Computerized measurement of ciliary beat frequency
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Updated: Nov 7, 2026

High-speed Video Microscopy Analysis for First-line Diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Published on: January 19, 2022
1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract:
We describe how ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human respiratory epithelium in vitro can be robustly and quickly measured. The proven photometric technique has been improved by using a microcomputer to calculate and display the results. The software, which runs on an IBM-compatible PC, was developed using Borland Turbo Pascal and employs a fast Fourier transform routine to derive the CBF. Results are displayed almost as soon as a cell is identified under the microscope, and are in accordance with previous work. The technique can now be used diagnostically and for a variety of drug trials on respiratory epithelium.
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