Pathology Screening, In More Ways Than One

Two heads often are better than one, it is said. However, the old adage does not go far enough, at least when it comes to group diagnostic situations, where pathologists, radiologists, and surgeons at a hospital review a case before deciding on a course of treatment. During such collaborations, two, four, six, or more heads will be involved, along with twice as many eyes.

The challenge comes in presenting the complete diagnostic picture to all those viewers, noted Tedd Kelemen, clinical product manager for Olympus Canada Inc. “The pathologists are going to get their crack at it. They're going to present data in one way, shape, or form. It's generally going to be visual data.”

This presentation has been handled in various ways in the past, but a new approach now is possible, thanks to technical advances. Olympus has incorporated a high-definition camera and display from Toshiba into a microscope imaging system. The system enables a group of clinicians to view a pathology slide on the screen almost as though the slide were being seen in a microscope by each group member individually.

SOURCE: Toshiba Imaging Systems Division