Glo-DMU: A Deep Morphometry Framework of Ultrastructural Characterization in Glomerular Electron Microscopic Images

Abstract: Complex and diverse ultrastructural features can indicate the type, progression, and prognosis of kidney diseases. Recently, computational pathology combined with deep learning methods has shown tremendous potential in advancing automatic morphological analysis of glomerular ultrastructure. However, current research predominantly focuses on the recognition of individual ultrastructure, which makes it challenging to meet practical diagnostic needs. In this study, we propose the glomerular morphometry framework of ultrastructural characterization (Glo-DMU), which is grounded on three deep models: the ultrastructure segmentation model, the glomerular filtration barrier region classification model, and the electron-dense deposits detection model. Following the conventional protocol of renal biopsy diagnosis, this framework simultaneously quantifies the three most widely used ultrastructural features: the thickness of glomerular basement membrane, the degree of foot process effacement, and the location of electron-dense deposits. We evaluated the 115 patients with 9 renal pathological types in real-world diagnostic scenarios, demonstrating good consistency between automatic quantification results and morphological descriptions in the pathological reports. Glo-DMU possesses the characteristics of full automation, high precision, and high throughput, quantifying multiple ultrastructural features simultaneously, and providing an efficient tool for assisting renal pathologists.