3D presentation of the nuclear cell features in quantitative cytometry

The use of an image cytometer in analysis of smears and needle aspirates provides valuable information to a cytologist. It allows to combine the overall impression, formed by visually inspecting the cells, with measured and numerically expressed nuclear cell features. Both types of information can be used efficiently only if presented to the expert in an appropriate way. Cell images (as they are seen with a microscope) are easily analysed by the experts. However, measured nuclear features can not be presented as a list of numerical values. Instead, an user interface should be developed, providing graphical presentation of the nuclear features. It should show as much information as possible and provide a comprehensive link between nuclear features and cell images. The user interface described in this paper shows nuclear features in three dimensions. It is based on a perspective projection of the three dimensional feature space onto a two dimensional surface. It allows the user to dynamically change the perspective, i.e., to look at the virtual three dimensional structure from different viewpoints. Each nucleus is represented by a single object in the three dimensional space. When an object in the three dimensional feature space is selected, the image (or the visual appearance) of the corresponding cell is shown. When a nucleus image is selected, its position in the feature space is highlighted. This provides an interconnection between nuclear cell features and cell images allowing simultaneous analysis of both types of information.