Fourier analysis as a planimetric procedure - Application to malignant and normal urothelial cells with reactive changes

Abstract The shape of urothelial cell nuclei in 27 urinary cytological preparations has been quantified by means of Fourier analysis. Fourier amplitudes were calculated as parameters of the nuclear shape. The T-test and a discriminance analysis showed significant differences in nuclear shape between preparations with malignant urothelial cells and nonmalignant cells with reactive changes. Only one preparation was reclassified false-negatively. No preparation was reclassified false-positively. No significant differences were found between normal cells with and without reactive changes. Thus it can be concluded that nuclear shape is an important criterion for the diagnosis of urothelial carcinomas in urinary cytological preparations. Fourier analysis allows the complete reproduction of the convex shape of a nucleus and it seems to be useful as an additional quantitative procedure in the diagnosis of malignant tumours.