Press Release / Health and Fitness / Whole slide imaging-Advanced technology in digital pathology

Whole slide imaging-Advanced technology in digital pathology

The significant development in technology have led to the adoption of more innovative digital imaging solutions in pathology such as Whole slide imaging (WSI), WSI refers to the procedure scanning of conventional glass slides in order to produce digital slides, it is the most recent imaging modality that is being employed by pathology departments worldwide. This article provides a brief review of Whole Slide Imaging platforms and how much influential it has become in medical field.

The first whole slide imaging (WSI) system for interpreting digital surgical pathology slides on the basis of biopsy tissue samples was the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution (PIPS) introduced by Digital Pathology Association (DPA). PIPS was a huge success and a breakthrough in pathology, therefore since 2013, the DPA has collaborated with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to push for the adoption of WSI technology in the industry. Looking forward to contribute to the widespread adoption of WSI technology.
One of the major benefit of WSI is that it enables pathologists to read tissue slides digitally in order to make diagnoses, rather than directly observing a tissue sample mounted on a glass slide under a conventional light microscope. Hence the growth WSI continues to gain traction among pathologists for educational, diagnostic and research purposes.

Glass-slide interpretations are done by contemplating through a standard microscope, whereas WSI interpretations are made using video screens with manipulation of images via a computer-based monitor, using specific mouse-driven buttons that allow movement and changes in magnification, this technique have been proved to be more reliable and precise rather than the conventional glass slides method. Although both are inherently different methods, the pathologists using the modern WSI system appeared to be more easily trained in its operations and based on the results of this study, were able to arrive at much accurate interpretations, as WSIs can speed up the diagnostic process and allow easier sharing of slides among physicians. In WSIs the system digitizes the slides, which would otherwise be stored in physical files. It also allocates a streamlined slide storage and retrieval system that may help make critical health information available to pathologists, other health care professionals and patients much faster.