Benefits of Digital Slide Sharing

Digital pathology provides remarkable flexibility through the availability of slide images without the need for glass slides or microscopes. New services make digital pathology easy and affordable without the large capital outlay necessary for an internally managed infrastructure. Through secure transmittal of images to a global data center, images can immediately be accessed by and shared with authorized parties. These "slide sharing networks" are compatible with a variety of commercially available image capture devices and whole slide scanners and support digital grossing stations and images captured from cameras mounted on microscopes.

Users are provided with a slide scanner and software for a low, flat monthly fee in exchange for the right to electronically transmit digitized slide images to a virtual data warehouse. Stored images are accessible via pass codes for instant access to digital images or global pathology expertise, which is especially invaluable to lab professionals and pathologists in rural and remote locations.

Remote scanners communicate with the data center using only outbound connections that require no modifications to an institution's firewall, overcoming a major technical hurdle for widespread adoption of digital slide sharing. Information is stored in a high-security, HIPAA-compliant, state-of-the-art data center designed to protect sensitive data. This arrangement augments the capabilities of traditional digital pathology systems, which typically limit access to those who have network access privileges within an organization.

Improved Efficiency

A slide sharing network also improves lab efficiency and reduces costs associated with managing glass slides through Web-based access to digital slides, including hematoxylin & eosin and immunohistochemistry staining, Pap and blood smears and Gram stains. Speed is a core advantage for more timely patient results reporting; slides can be accessed in a matter of minutes or hours versus days or weeks, accelerating shipping and other processes.

Through the networks, pathologists can provide consultation to or receive second opinions from other pathologists inside and outside of their group anywhere in the world, reducing the risk of slide breakage or re-cuts and diminishing pathologist time traveling to a remote site. Use of a third-party data warehouse promotes sharing and collaboration. Since the data warehouse serves as an intermediary, multiple pathology groups can access digitized slides without opening up firewalls to their Intranets. Digital slide sharing networks are also particularly valuable for pathologists who have to ship glass slides internationally to places where customs laws often prohibit the transport of tissue.

Information Sharing

Slide sharing networks provide Web-based information management (pathology picture archiving and communication system) software with access to functions such as digital slide conferencing, image analysis and archival/retrieval.

Intelligent data retrieval tools enable users to search and access information in the slide network based on multiple criteria. Search criteria can be based on multiple levels of information such as case, specimen, digital slide or image and by numerous subcategories within those levels, such as species, stain type, result or scan date. Pathologists can also use the data center to access digital slide repositories for self education, decision support and tumor board review, or to archive important cases.

Quality assurance programs can be managed more effectively by digitizing and archiving cases for future retrieval, and pathologists can create a permanent record of second opinions or a library for interesting or difficult cases.

Future Improvements

Information technology developers are creating image analysis algorithms to enhance slide images and automate tedious analysis tasks. Automated image analysis algorithms will be valuable for performing repetitive analysis tasks. Digital slide sharing networks will offer a way for patients to store their own pathology slides as part of their personal medical record-which will be useful for physician referral or disease progression tracking. A patient's pathology slides will be archived for universal access.

Chrystal Adams is product manager, marketing, at Aperio Technologies, Vista, CA.

Benefits of Slide Sharing Networks

• improve lab efficiency

• reduce costs associated with managing glass slides through Web-based access to digital slides

• offer more timely patient results reporting

• enables pathologists to provide consultation to or receive second opinions from other pathologists inside and outside of their group anywhere in the world