Patent ID: 8605981

Claim:
A method for determining radiation exposure from chromosome abnormalities present in a specimen comprising the steps of: (a) determining a location of at least one centromere of each chromosome in a cell in an image of a metaphase nucleus by: (i) segmenting an accurately drawn chromosome centerline of each of the chromosomes in the cell, (ii) selecting a longitudinal cross-section of a chromosome image with a minimum width, intensity or a combination of features derived from width and intensity, wherein in a dicentric chromosome, a location of a first centromere is masked to identify a subsequent longitudinal cross-section with a second lowest minimum of combined width; (b) counting the number of centromeres in each chromosome in said cell; (c) computing a computed frequency of dicentric chromosomes in a plurality of said cells; and (d) determining a radiation dose by comparing the computed frequency of dicentric chromosomes with a previously determined dose-response curve from a calibrated source of ionizing radiation.