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Cell Imaging Techniques pp 367–390Cite as

Stereology and Morphometry of Lung Tissue

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 931))

Abstract

This chapter deals with the stereological quantification of structural characteristics of the lung. The aim of design-based stereological methods is the unbiased and efficient estimation of structural features without making any assumptions on the underlying nature of the biological sample. The methods are based on rigorous sampling of location and orientation, the application of appropriate test systems, and the controlling of the precision of the estimates. Here, we describe the workflow from the fixation of the lung over the processing of the tissue samples to gaining estimates on the structural properties of the lung. Specifically, this chapter deals with methods for estimating the reference volume, sampling location, and sampling orientation, estimating volumes and surface areas of alveolar compartments, estimating total alveolar number, performing stereology at light and electron microscopic level, and dealing with technical problems such as tissue shrinkage. The procedures are illustrated using a worked example from the authors’ own laboratory.

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Acknowledgements

Over the years, we have made friends with many stereologists in the world. We wish to thank them for the great time and discussions we enjoyed together.

We would also like to thank the DFG and the SNF for financial support of our projects throughout the last years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Functional and Applied Anatomy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Christian Mühlfeld, Lars Knudsen & Matthias Ochs

Authors
  1. Christian Mühlfeld
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  2. Lars Knudsen
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  3. Matthias Ochs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthias Ochs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Beaumont Ave 89, Burlington, 05405-1742, Vermont, USA

    Douglas J. Taatjes

  2. , Abt. Zell- und Molekularpathologie, Universität Zürich, Schmelzbergstr. 12, Zürich, 8091, Switzerland

    Jürgen Roth

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Mühlfeld, C., Knudsen, L., Ochs, M. (2012). Stereology and Morphometry of Lung Tissue. In: Taatjes, D., Roth, J. (eds) Cell Imaging Techniques. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 931. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-056-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-056-4_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-055-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-056-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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