The understanding of cardiomyopathies is hindered by a lack of quantitative histologic data. To address this methodical gap, we wrote a MATLAB-based image analysis platform to quantify nuclear and cellular disarray. We validated its utility in an animal model of tachycardiomyopathy (T-CM), whose ultrastructural remodeling processes have only partially been characterized and differ substantially from more prevalent cardiomyopathies. Six rabbits received right ventricular pacemaker implants. Three animals were paced incrementally up to 380 bpm for 30 days to induce T-CM. In three control rabbits, the pacemaker remained inactive (SHAM). Left ventricular tissue was collected, fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin, stained, and digitized for nuclear morphometry, texture analysis, orientation analysis, and vascular architecture evaluation. Nuclear segmentation performed by the software was highly accurate, closely matching manual counts (mean manual nuclear count per slide = 81.3 ± 3.8, mean automated nuclear count per slide = 81.9 ± 4.3, r = 0.981, p<0.001). In T-CM, nuclei were enlarged [SHAM (a.u.) = 2362, T-CM (a.u.) = 2660, p=0.0042]. Texture patterns differed between the groups with higher nuclear contrast in T-CM [SHAM (a.u.) = 0.0169, T-CM (a.u.) = 0.0247, p=0.0149], highlighting structural remodeling at the nuclear level. Median vessel size increased in T-CM [SHAM (a.u.) = 1532, T-CM (a.u.) = 2421, p<0.0001]. In conclusion, our MATLAB-based image analysis platform allows high-throughput quantification of nuclear and extracellular disarray. It identified enlargement of nuclei and increased nuclear contrast as part of ultrastructural remodeling in tachycardiomyopathy.

Keywords: digital image analysis; hypertrophy; nuclear morphometry; tachycardiomyopathy; texture.

对心肌病的理解受到缺乏定量组织学数据的限制。为了弥补这一方法上的不足，我们编写了一个基于 MATLAB 的图像分析平台，用于量化核和细胞排列紊乱的情况。我们在一种快速型心肌病 (T-CM) 的动物模型中验证了该平台的有效性，这种模型的超微结构重塑过程尚未完全表征，并且与更常见的类型的心肌病有显著差异。实验中，六只兔子接受了右心室起搏器植入手术。三只动物逐步增加到每天380次/分钟的速率，持续30天以诱发 T-CM。另外三只对照组兔子中的起搏器保持不活跃状态（SHAM）。左心室组织被收集、固定在甲醛中，并包埋在石蜡中，然后进行染色和数字化处理，以便于核形态测量、纹理分析、取向分析以及血管结构评估。软件执行的核分割结果非常准确，与手动计数高度匹配（每张幻灯片平均的手动核计数 = 81.3 ± 3.8，自动化核计数 = 81.9 ± 4.3, r=0.981, p<0.001）。在 T-CM 中，核增大 [SHAM (a.u.) = 2362，T-CM (a.u.) = 2660，p=0.0042]。纹理模式在各组间存在差异，在 T-CM 组中表现出更高的核对比度[SHAM (a.u.) = 0.0169, T-CM (a.u.) = 0.0247, p=0.0149]，突显了超微结构重塑在核水平上的变化。T-CM 中的中位血管尺寸增加 [SHAM (a.u.) = 1532, T-CM (a.u.) = 2421, p<0.0001]。总之，我们的基于 MATLAB 的图像分析平台能够高效地量化核和细胞外排列紊乱情况。它发现了在快速型心肌病中的核增大以及核对比度增加是超微结构重塑的一部分。

关键词：数字图像分析；肥大；核形态测量；快速性心肌病；纹理。