Television-computer method for in vivo measurement of capillary diameter, based on the passage of red cells

Capillary diameter is generally measured by methods requiring a trained observer to determine the location of the vessel walls. We have developed a video computer method for measurement of capillary diameter, based on temporal fluctuations of light intensity within the lumen due to the passage of red cells. These fluctuations are quantified, at successive points along a line perpendicular to the capillary by sampling, with a microcomputer, the …