Both the grid method of Siperstein et al. (tSIP) and the minimum-points method of Williamson et al. (tWIL) for measurement of capillary basement membrane thickness are inaccurate for assessing mean true membrane thickness of a given section (tTRUE) for various reasons, including errors in selectivity, sensitivity, and geometry. In general, it is agreed that tSIP > tTRUE > tWIL, but estimates of tTRUE beyond this have not been made. In this study, a collapsed-ellipse method for approximating tTRUE is presented that measures thickness by areas (tEA). One hundred-twenty capillaries from the forearm skin of 12 diabetic subjects and 12 age-matched controls were measured to examine these concepts. We found that, whereas tWIL was up to 63% below tTRUE, tEA was 30% too low. Although tSIP, tWIL, and tEA did not distinguish between diabetic and normal subjects, tEA and tWIL measurements had highly predictable and small errors, and tSIP had unpredictable ranges of error, especially when tSIP was low.
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Original Articles|
September 01 1987
Comparison of Measurement Methods for Capillary Basement Membrane Thickness: Collapsed-Ellipse Technique
Murray A Katz;
Murray A Katz
Renal Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Arizona College of Medicine
Tucson
; and the Division of Neuropathology, Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, Arizona
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John L Beggs;
John L Beggs
Renal Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Arizona College of Medicine
Tucson
; and the Division of Neuropathology, Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, Arizona
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Peter C Johnson
Peter C Johnson
Renal Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Arizona College of Medicine
Tucson
; and the Division of Neuropathology, Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, Arizona
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Murray A. Katz, Research Service (151), Veterans Administration Medical Center, Tucson, AZ 85723.
Diabetes 1987;36(9):1019–1028
Article history
Received:
August 21 1986
Revision Received:
February 23 1987
Accepted:
February 23 1987
PubMed:
3609496
Citation
Murray A Katz, John L Beggs, Peter C Johnson; Comparison of Measurement Methods for Capillary Basement Membrane Thickness: Collapsed-Ellipse Technique. Diabetes 1 September 1987; 36 (9): 1019–1028. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.36.9.1019
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