Robotic telepathology for intraoperative remote diagnosis using a still-imaging-based system.
The aim of the present study was to assess whether a telemicroscopy system based on static imaging could provide a remote intraoperative frozen section service. Three pathologists evaluated 70 consecutive frozen section cases (for a total of 210 diagnoses) using a static telemicroscopy system (STeMiSy) and light microscopy (LM). STeMiSy uses a robotic microscope, enabling full remote control by consultant pathologists in a near real-time manner. Clinically important concordance between STeMiSy and LM was 98.6% (95.2% overall concordance), indicating very good agreement. The rates of deferred diagnoses given by STeMiSy and LM were comparable (11.0% and 9.5%, respectively). Compared with the consensus diagnosis, the diagnostic accuracy of STeMiSy and LM was 95.2% and 96.2%. The mean viewing time per slide was 3.6 minutes, and the overall time to make a diagnosis by STeMiSy was 6.2 minutes, conforming to intraoperative practice requirements. Our study demonstrates that a static imaging active telepathology system is comparable to dynamic telepathology systems and can provide a routine frozen section service.
Demichelis
F
F
Istituto Trentino di Cultura, Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, Trento, Italy.
Barbareschi
M
M
Boi
S
S
Clemente
C
C
Dalla Palma
P
P
Eccher
C
C
Forti
S
S
D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005629:Frozen Sections; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D010340:Pathology, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D019113:Telepathology / Q000379:methods*