title: Virtual microscopy improves sharing of deceased donor kidneys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Donor kidney biopsies used for offer evaluation may lengthen cold ischemia time. Our organ procurement organization began processing wedge biopsies and having them read using virtual microscopy (VM), as opposed to its prior routine of processing/reading at local hospitals. We hypothesized that VM would decrease time to biopsy results and kidney acceptance.
  
  
  METHODS
  All donor kidneys biopsied over 1 year were compared with those biopsied during the previous year (n = 43, 40).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time to biopsy result was shortened using VM (5:04 vs 6:30, P = .04), and especially for those cases with cross-clamp between 5 pm and 5 am (4:49 vs 8:12, P < .01). Time to local acceptance was also significantly improved using VM for both the entire group (7:01 vs 9:52, P < .01) and the overnight subset (7:25 vs 11:10, P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of VM decreased time to biopsy result, with the most prominent effects seen during the overnight hours, resulting in shortened time to local acceptance of organs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Transplant Center, Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 10 Plum St, 7th floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. Electronic address: adena.osband@rwjuh.edu.
authors.forename: Adena J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Osband
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Billie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fyfe
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Transplant Center, Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 10 Plum St, 7th floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Laskow
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey; D019113:Telepathology; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement
keywords: Biopsy; Deceased donor; Kidney transplant