How could static telepathology improve diagnosis in neuropathology?

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Remmelinck, Myriam | Lopes, M. Beatriz S. | Nagy, Nathalie | Rorive, Sandrine | Rombaut, Katja | Decaestecker, Christine^; | Kiss, Robert^; | Salmon, Isabelle^;

Affiliations: Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires de Bruxelles, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium | Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA | Laboratory of Histopathology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Note: [] This author is a Research Associate with the “Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique” (FNRS), Belgium.

Note: [] This author is a Senior Research Associate with the “Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique” (FNRS), Belgium.

Note: [] Corresponding author: Isabelle Salmon, M.D., Department of Pathology, Erasmus Hospital, Free University of Brussels, 808 route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium. Tel.: +32 2 555 31 15; Fax: +32 2 555 47 90; E‐mail: isalmon@med.ulb.ac.be.

Abstract: The present paper reports our experience with, and our opinion of static telepathology as applied to neuropathology by means of the PHAROS acquisition system and conventional telephone data transmission (modem). The classical procedure of expert consultation based on surface mailing of histological slides is routinely performed, especially in highly specialized fields of pathology. Telepathology is an easy means of sharing scientific expertise at international level and could thus improve diagnosis particularly in neuropathology, where certain tumor types are very rare and complex to diagnose. Dynamic telepathology allows the referring pathologist to capture by himself images supporting their diagnosis. Using static telepathology the pathologist could be limited in diagnosis by problems in fields selection. We devoted a whole year to collecting all the technical parameters characterizing the use of digitized neuropathological data files in order to investigate the feasibility of telepathology and the extent to which its use could improve diagnoses. Our results on a series of 38 histological brain examinations illustrate how we successfully established an international connection between two departments of pathology in Belgium and the USA. The referring pathologists gave diagnoses in 35 cases and deferred only 3. Despite a time‐consuming procedure for the telepathology session of a few cases, this tool provides easy access to expert diagnosis and real‐time discussion, both of which are of considerable interest and offer significant improvements in neuropathology.

Keywords: Static telepathology, neuropathology, data transmission, expert consultation

Journal: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 21, no. 3-4, pp. 177-182, 2000