A Simple Technique to Measure the Movements of the Microscope Stage Along the X and Y Axes for Stereological Methods

Abstract

Measurements of microscope stage movements in the x and y directions are of importance for some stereological methods such as the optical disector and optical fractionator. The length of stage movements can be measured with great precision and accuracy using a suitable motorized stage, which is generally a computer-assisted instrument. This type of equipment is generally too expensive for and not readily available in many laboratories. This paper describes a simple method to measure the movements of the microscope stage along the x and y directions, which can be used for purposes such as systematic uniform random sampling. It needs a microscope attachment consisting of two dial indicators; one of them is used to measure the amount of stage movement along the x-axis and the other measures the amount of movement along the y-axis. Movements of the stage on the micrometre-scale can be measured easily using this device. © 2001 The Royal Microscopical Society.