Affiliations: Institute of Pathology, "Rudolph-Virchow-Haus", University
Hospital Charité, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University Berlin,
Germany
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. Dorothea Daniel Institute of
Pathology "Rudolph-Virchow-Haus" University Hospital Charité Medical
Faculty of the Humboldt University Berlin Schumannstraße 20/21 10098
Berlin Germany Tel: 030 - 280 23871 FAX: 030 - 280 25688 e-Mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Image quality is a crucial factor in the diagnostic practice of
telepathology. Because of technical and financial limitations there has to be
made a compromise between high image quality and fast image transmission. There
are no standardized thresholds defining minimal requirements in respect to the
image quality during telepathological diagnostics with the purpose to guarantee
diagnostic accuracy. Aim of this study is the investigation of the influence of
the resolution of digital histological images on subjective perception.
Observers were asked to compare a set of 50 image pairs projected by a slide
projector. Each image pair consisted of a reference image of 1800 dpi
resolution and a test image of lower resolution. Both were sampled out of an
original photographic transparency. According to our results it would be
recommendable to use the following resolutions in pixel per micrometer for the
purpose of histopathological telediagnosis to meet the claims of viewers with
high visual acuity: objective 1x: 0,19 pixel per µm; objective 4x: 0,43
pixel per µm; objective 10x: 1,09 pixel per µm; objective 20x: 2,17
pixel per µm; objective 40x: 4,35 pixel per µm.
