Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41430284›Full record

ArticleJournal of ovarian research2025

Micro-CT and machine learning: a high-throughput alternative to histology for follicle reserve assessment in cryopreserved ovarian tissue.

Katri Knuus, Mai Nguyen, Markus Hannula, Jasmin Hassan, Marjut Otala, Timo Tuuri, Karolina Lundin, Atte Lahtinen, Pauliina Damdimopoulou, Jari Hyttinen and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of ovarian research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Ovarian ageing: from biological constraint to emerging therapeutic frontier.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Katri KnuusFaculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. katri.knuus@helsinki.fi.
Mai NguyenComputational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Markus HannulaComputational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Jasmin HassanDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Marjut OtalaFaculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Timo TuuriFaculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Karolina LundinFaculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Atte LahtinenApplied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Pauliina DamdimopoulouDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jari HyttinenComputational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Kirsi JahnukainenFaculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOvarian tissue cryopreservation followed by transplantation after cancer remission is a fertility preservation strategy available for certain patient groups, such as pre-pubertal and adolescent girls, as well as adult females requiring urgent gonadotoxic therapy. Quantitative assessment of follicular density in cryopreserved cortical tissue is critical for evaluating tissue quality and estimating its reproductive potential. Conventional analysis, based on manual follicle counts in serial histological sections, is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to variability from uneven follicle distribution and inconsistent tissue orientation. To address these limitations, we developed a high-throughput, automated method combining micro-CT, machine learning, and morphological analysis to quantify oocyte density and other morphological features throughout entire ovarian cortical tissue samples.

resultsThree-dimensional segmentation analysis enabled quantification of oocyte density in the samples within the cortical region 1 mm below the surface epithelium. Oocytes in pediatric samples were located significantly closer to the surface compared to those in adult tissue, with median distances of 139.4 μm and 370.2 μm, respectively (P < 0.0001) and exhibited markedly higher local oocyte neighbor counts, with median values of 6 and 2 in pediatric and adult tissues, respectively (P < 0.0001), consistent with higher oocyte density and clustered spatial organization in younger individuals. Simulated histology using every 10th virtual sections -corresponding to 40 μm separated histology slices- closely approximated full-volume micro-CT estimates of oocyte density. Analysis based on only five virtual sections aligned with micro-CT data exclusively in pediatric samples with high oocyte density, whereas in adult samples it led to substantial inaccuracies in oocyte density estimation.

conclusionMicro-CT scanning combined with machine learning analysis represents a novel high-throughput and automated approach for estimating oocyte count in cryopreserved ovarian cortical samples. In addition, three-dimensional analysis offers valuable insights into oocyte localization and spatial distribution within the ovarian cortex, presenting a promising alternative to conventional histology for future clinical and research applications.

Indexed as

CryopreservationMachine LearningOvarian FollicleOvarian ReserveOvaryX-Ray MicrotomographyAdolescentAdultChildFemaleFertility PreservationHumansOocytes3D analysisFollicular densityMicro-CTOvarian tissue cryopreservationOvary

Identifiers

PMID41430284
PMCPMC12805687

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.