Visualisering och beräkning av hudkapillärer
The aim of this thesis was to develop an objective and automatic method for identifying capillaries in microscope images of the skin. Furthermore, statistical data about the identified capillaries and the capillary distribution should be computed and stored in a database. The method was implemented using the platform independent programming language Java. An analysis of microscope improvement using various polarization filter setups and wavelength filtershas also been performed, as well as a pilot study of the effect of applying a local anaesthetic cream on the skin. The method is developed and aimed at research on various pathological skin conditions affecting the capillary distribution. Hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, ischemia, connective tissue disease, and erythromelalgia are all examples of diseases or pathological conditions which are supposed to affect the distribution of the skin capillaries.