Application of Binary Filters in Automated Counting of Reticulocytes

Computer generated binary matched filters have been used in an attempt to recognize and count immature red blood cells (reticulocytes) on a standard blood smear slide in a coherent optical data processing system. The Fourier plane binary filters were synthesized on a digital computer using an appropriate polar geometry mathematical model. Various filters were constructed and tested for synthetic blood cells, and preliminary test results are presented for random samples of actual blood slides. These show a trend of manual reticulocyte count versus the matched filter count, but no statistical significance.