Affiliations: Address for correspondence: Wolfgang Feiden Abteilung für
Neuropathologie Universitätskliniken des Saarlandes Homburg/S., Germany
Abstract: The Internet respectively the world wide web (WWW) has become an
essential resource in the search for current information and references in the
practice of medicine. Up-to-date information without any printing- and
distribution-costs are other striking features. Furthermore, the WWW provides a
new learning environment in addition to traditional resources as books and
journals. An online tutorial for the diagnosis of stereotactic biopsy specimens
is described. This tutorial provides a set of 12 cases, including a short
history, radiological descriptions and imaging scans of the intracerebral
lesions, as well as cytological pictures of the stereotactic specimens. The
pictures can be zoomed with a mouse click to 736 x 560 pixel images. The next
page shows the histology of the lesion, in some cases with additional specimens
from a later performed open resection and with immunohistochemical findings.
Furthermore the final diagnosis is provided with discussion of the differential
diagnoses. A navigation menu includes an index and lets the user jump directly
to certain cases or other parts of the tutorial, with the latter including a
description of the smear preparation technique and data concerning the
diagnostic accuracy of stereotactic biopsies. A valuable list of the pertinent
literature is also available. The tutorial can be visited and used at no charge
and will be regularly updated. It can be found at the internet address
http://www.med-rz.uni-saarland.de/med_fak/neuropatho/sbdil/ . The use of the
WWW informational resources allows to acquire, as well as to provide, access to
medically related remote database structures and to obtain continuing medical
education in a fast and easy way.