ASSESSMENT OF NORMAL TESTIS GROWTH BY QUANTITATIVE TEXTURE ANALYSIS OF 2-D ECHO IMAGES

Size phases summarize the evolution of the healthy male gonad. Qualitative examination of two-dimensional echograms detects tonal differences at different ages of the testes. However, routine qualitative evaluation of the echograms is too subjective and dependent upon the scanner controls; on the other hand, simple morphology reports are not sufficient to establish the correct histolologic and physiologic evolution. So far computer-assisted quantitative analysis of ultrasonic images has been successful in the characterization of tissues based on their echographic properties; thus this approach could be suitable for art accurate identification of the age of healthy testis. Sixty-two normal subjects, ranked in six groups according to age, underwent echographic examination in standard conditions. Echograms were digitized and analysed by means of well-established algorithms for first and second order statistics. Significant differences in tonal features were found able to discriminate among different ages, in agreement with the qualitative analysis and the histologic reports. Furthermore, same second order analysis features exhibit statistically significant alterations of the micro-structural organisation of the echo patients consequent to changes of the configuration of the ultrasonic targets, that is, of the gonad's histology. In conclusion quantitative analysis of echograms can provide a tool for a better assessment of normal testis evolution than the qualitative approach.