Open AccessComparison of the diagnostic utility of digital pathology systems for telemicrobiology
Author(s) -
Daniel D. Rhoads,
Nadia Habib-Bein,
Rahman Hariri,
Douglas J. Hartman,
Sara Monaco,
Andrew Lesniak,
Jon Duboy,
Mohamed E. Salama,
Liron Pantanowitz
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of pathology informatics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 2153-3539
DOI - 10.4103/2153-3539.177687
Subject(s) - digital pathology , oil immersion , magnification , computer science , digital imaging , biomedical engineering , artificial intelligence , medicine , digital image , materials science , image processing , image (mathematics) , composite material
Telemicrobiology is a growing component of clinical microbiology informatics. However, few studies have been performed to assess the diagnostic utility of telemicroscopy systems in evaluating infectious agents. Objective: Evaluate multiple contemporary digital pathology platforms for use in diagnostic telemicrobiology. Materials and Methods: A mix of thirty cases that included viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitological findings were evaluated by four experts using ×40 whole slide imaging (WSI) scans, ×83 oil-immersion WSI scans, ×100 oil-immersion WSI scans, digital photomicrographs, and glass slides. Results: The ×83 WSI, ×100 WSI, and photomicrograph interpretations were not significantly different in quality and accuracy when compared to glass slide interpretations. The ×40 WSI interpretations were of lower quality and were more likely to be incorrect when compared to glass slide interpretations. Conclusions: In this study, high magnification, oil-immersion digital pathology platforms are better suited to support telemicrobiology applications and yield interpretations on par with glass slide evaluations