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 evaluat e the diagnostic efficacy of a dynamic-robotic telepathology system for the delivery of pathology services to distant hospitals. The system provides s tatic/dynamic features and the remote control of a robotized microscope ove r 4 ISDN lines. For evaluation purposes, 184 consecutive cases of frozen se ctions (60), gastrointestinal pathology (64), and urinary cytology (60) hav e been diagnosed at a distance using the system, and the telediagnosis obta ined in this way has been compared with the traditional microscopic diagnos is. Diagnostic agreement ranged from 90% in urinary cytology to 100% in fro zen sections. The results obtained suggest that such a system can be consid ered a useful tool for supporting the pathology practice in isolated hospit als.