Feasibility of telepathology in neurooncological diagnosis: a
prospective study allowing the analysis of histological images and cases to be
viewed by several partners
Affiliations: Department of Pathology, University of Medical
Sciences, Przybyszewski Str. 49, 60-355 Poznan, Poland. e-mail:
[email protected] | Institute of Pathology, University-Hospital Charite, Schumannstr.
20-21, D-10098 Berlin, Germany. e-mail: [email protected] | Department of Pathology, Medical University of Lodz,
Czechoslowacka Str. 8/10, 90-216 Lodz, Poland. [email protected]
| Department of Pathology, Medical University of Lodz,
Czechoslowacka Str. 8/10, 90-216 Lodz, Poland. e-mail: [email protected]
| Department of Pathology, Medial Academy in Lublin, ul.
Jaczewskiego 8, 20-950 Lublin, Poland. e-mail: [email protected]
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Janusz Szymas M.D., Ph.D. Department
of Pathology University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewski Str. 49, 60-355
Poznan, Poland. e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: We investigated 52 randomly selected tissue specimens from patients
undergoing brain surgery in a prospective mode with telepathology equipment.
The telepathology system applied TELEMIC and used the Internet as a
telecommunication link. All cases were selected from the routine diagnostic
workload in the Neurosurgical Pathology Laboratory in Poznan. The diagnostsis
was based on telemicroscopy with a remotely operated robotic microscope and a
digital camera. The telediagnoses were compared with the conventional diagnoses
of paraffin-embedded section. The accuracy of diagnostic procedure was analyzed
by statistical methods. The mean accuracy for the remote diagnosis was
calculated to 98%. Pathologists involved in the study assessed the image
quality as sufficient for a correct evaluation. The time period for
establishing a final diagnosis with the remote microscope was acceptable.
Further technical improvements of Internet networks should boost telepathology
as an everyday method for remote diagnosis of neurooncological cases. Thus,
this level of operation can be used in real-time diagnosis and may be used to
transport a specialist's expertise to remote sites including hospitals without
a neurooncologist. In addition, this form of telepathology is an ideal tool for
education.
