Presented at the 1997 APIII Conference                        Return to 1997 Abstract Index

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IMAGE ENHANCED SURGICAL PATHOLOGY CONSULTATION REPORTS

Aijazi, Mahmood; Tomashefski, Joseph F., Jr.
MetroHealth Medical Center
Department of Pathology
Cleveland, Ohio

Gross and microscopic images are important for documenting diagnostic features of anatomic pathology specimens. With the advent of modern ancillary diagnostic techniques, including immunohistochemistry and molecular diagnostics, these images have become even more important to validate diagnostic decisions. Diagnostic images are especially instructive when used as adjunct to the report in cases referred by a pathologists for expert consultation. In this situation, a report with representative images can be an excellent learning experience for the referring pathologist. We used a Zeiss Axioskop© microscope with JVC KY 17© CCD camera, attached to a Compaq© Pentium© 120 MHz computer and captured microscopic images from glass slides in compressed JPEG format. A Hewlett-Packard ScanJet© 5P TWAIN compatible scanner was used to scan electron microscopic, molecular diagnostic and other images. These images are stored in the computer’s hard disk. They are edited and viewed in an image management software (ThumbsPlus© by Cerious Software Inc.). A Hewlett-Packard Deskjet© 870Cxi Color inkjet printer is used to print these images on photographic quality paper. These images are included in the final pathology report to be reviewed by the referring pathologist or clinician. This modality is an efficient and inexpensive enhancement of the surgical pathology consultation report. An added feature of the system is the ability to store key images on cases in which slides are returned to the referring institution.