Automatic segmentation of metaphase cells based on global context and variant analysis

We treat the problem of chromosome segmentation with the aid of shape analysis and classification. Our approach consists of a combination of two phases, a purely rule–based phase and a phase driven by constrained discriminant analysis. In the first phase, obvious prototypical shape elements related to touchings and overlaps are recursively identified, in the second, remaining complex and ambiguous cases are treated. The latter phase exploits global context by using variant analysis, a statistical theory of ambiguity recently established. The method turns out to be quite accurate. The system works on whole clinical cells and to a certain degree when band patterns are not or not well visible.