An Introduction to Stereological Techniques

Abstract

Stereology is a branch of science that allows inferences and interpretations about the threedimensional properties of sections taken from three-dimensional biological structures to be made by analysing these sections in a two-dimensional plane. By taking sections from a tissue, cross-sectional projections can be obtained in a two-dimensional plane regarding the height, shape, volume and orientations of the structures in that tissue. These projections are used to obtain information about the components within the structures. The change in the direction of the section causes the formation of different projections if the distribution of particles in the relevant tissue is not isotropic. This situation leads to highly misleading and biased results in quantitative studies involving histological sections. The process of taking sections also leads to a reduction in the size of associated objects. For this reason, histological sections obtained from tissues cannot provide definite results concerning the amount or number of structures that constitute the tissue. In this context, parameters such as cell count, volume and volume components, surface area and length in organs and structures can be estimated using stereological methods, as a result of which the diagnosis and treatment of the disease in question and follow-up with appropriate surgical procedures can be established impartially and reliably in the clinical setting. © 2024 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.