Combining dynamic and static robotic telepathology: a report on 184 consecutive cases of frozen sections, histology and cytology.
The aim of this paper is to describe the experiments carried out to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of a dynamic-robotic telepathology system for the delivery of pathology services to distant hospitals. The system provides static/dynamic features and the remote control of a robotized microscope over 4 ISDN lines. For evaluation purposes, 184 consecutive cases of frozen sections (60), gastrointestinal pathology (64), and urinary cytology (60) have been diagnosed at a distance using the system, and the telediagnosis obtained in this way has been compared with the traditional microscopic diagnosis. Diagnostic agreement ranged from 90% in urinary cytology to 100% in frozen sections. The results obtained suggest that such a system can be considered a useful tool for supporting the pathology practice in isolated hospitals.
Della Mea
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V
Institute of Pathology, University of Udine, Italy. dellamea@dimi.uniud.it
Cataldi
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Pertoldi
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Beltrami
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CA
D004064:Digestive System / Q000473:pathology; D005629:Frozen Sections; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D003629:Modems; D010336:Pathology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012371:Robotics; D019035:Rural Health Services; D019113:Telepathology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000166:cytology; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology