Physics:High-power field

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A high-power field (HPF), when used in relation to microscopy, references the field of view under the maximum magnification power of the objective being used. Often, this represents a 400-fold magnification when referenced in scientific papers.

Area

Area per high-power field for some microscope types:

  • Olympus BX50, BX40 or BH2 or AO: 0.096 mm2[1]
  • AO with 10x eyepiece: 0.12 mm2[1]
  • Olympus with 10x eyepiece: 0.16 mm2[1]
  • Nikon Eclipse E400 with 10x eyepiece and 40x objective: 0.25mm2[2]
  • Leitz Ortholux: 0.27 mm2[1]
  • Leitz Diaplan: 0.31 mm2[1]

Examples of usage

The area provides a reference unit, for example in reference ranges for urine tests.[3]

Used for grading of soft tissue tumors: Grading, usually on a scale of I to III, is based on the degree of differentiation, the average number of mitoses per high-power field, cellularity, pleomorphism, and an estimate of the extent of necrosis (presumably a reflection of rate of growth). Mitotic counts and necrosis are the most important predictors.[4]

The following grading is part of classification of breast cancer:

Mitotic count per 10 high-power fields (HPFs)[1]
Area per HPF Score
0.096 mm2 0.12 mm2 0.16 mm2> 0.27 mm2 0.31 mm2
0-3 0-4 0-5 0-9 0-11 1
4-7 5-8 6-10 10-19 12-22 2
>7 >8 >10 >19 >22 3

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Unless otherwise specified in list/table, then reference is: "Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast (Carcinoma of No Special Type)". http://surgpathcriteria.stanford.edu/breast/infductcabr/grading.html. Retrieved 2019-10-02. 
  2. Mikael Häggström (2020-01-29). "Neuroendocrine tumors of the midgut". https://patholines.org/Neuroendocrine_tumors_of_the_midgut. 
  3. Normal Reference Range Table from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Used in interactive case study companion to pathologic basis of disease.
  4. Robbins Basic Pathology, 9e pg 792