Leukocyte segmentation and counting based on microscopic blood images using HSV saturation component with blob analysis

Determining the accurate count of leukocytes commonly known as WBC (white blood cells) in a blood test is critical in evaluating and diagnosing an individual's health particularly on a wide range of diseases which includes infections, anemia, leukemia etc. There are two widely used methods to determine leukocyte count. First, is through the use of hematology analyzer and the other is done manually. Nowadays, with the advent of technology leukocyte counting was improved through the use of digital image processing. However, the algorithm of the existing methods involves too many steps which complicates the image processing phase. Thus, we considered counting leukocytes by incorporating the HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) saturation component with blob analysis on microscopic blood images which highlights the eccentricity and area features for counting to simplify existing methodologies which in turn generates faster and more accurate results.