COMPUTER ASSISTED ANALYSIS OF LEUKOCYTE RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR IN MICROVASCULATURE

A new approach called Time-Space Scheme has beenrecommended for measuring the velocity of moving blood cellsin the microvasculature. In each sampling time, the data areput into a row, then rows are integrated in sequential times assequetial rows. The motion of various objects in the field ofmicrocirculation can be analyzed from the time-space image.In the time-space image RBC’s flow appears as a diagonaldark stripe and WBC’s flow as a bright stripe. The slope at dif-ferent points on those stripes reflects the local velocity ofRBCs and WBCs. Using the time-space image analyzingmethod, the velocities of erythrocyte and leukocyte inmicrocirculation are measured simultaneously by a self-de-signed interactive image processing system. According tocharacteristic of leukocyte flowing movement, leukocytes inmicrovasculature are divided into the three kinds: centralaxial-flowing leukocyte, rolling leukocyte and adhesiveleukocyte. On this basis, we introduce theleukocyte-endothelium contact time as a quantitative index forleukocyte-endothelium interaction. During hemorrhagic shock,the phenomenon of leukocyte-endothelium adhesion has beenobserved by this system, which suggests that the method is ef-fective and useful for the research of microcirculation.