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Teledermatopathology

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Telemedicine in Dermatology

Abstract

Teledermatopathology may involve real-time transmission of images from distant locations to consulting pathologists by the remote manipulation of a robotic microscope. Alternatively, the static store-and-forward (SAF) option involves the single file transmission of subjectively preselected and captured areas of microscopic images by a referring physician. The recent introduction of virtual slide systems (VSS) involves the digitization of whole slides at high resolution thus enabling the user to view any part of the specimen at any magnification. Such technology has surmounted previous restrictions caused by the size of preselected areas and specimen sampling for telepathology. In terms of client access, these VSS may be stored on a virtual slide (VS) server, made available on the web for remote consultation by pathologists via an integrated VS client network.

Despite SAF teledermatopathology being the most frequently used and less expensive approach to teledermatopathology, VSS represents the future in this discipline. The recent pilot studies suggest that the use of remote expert consultants in diagnostic dermatopathology can be integrated into daily routine, teleconsultation and teleteaching. The new technology enables rapid and reproducible diagnoses, but despite its usability, VSS are not completely feasible for teledermatopathology of inflammatory skin diseases as the performance seems to be influenced by the availability of complete clinical data. Improvements in the diagnostic facility will no doubt follow from further development of the VSS, the slide processor and of course training in the use virtual microscope. Undoubtedly as technology becomes even more sophisticated in the future VSS will overcome the present drawbacks and find its place in all facets of teledermatopathology.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Cesare Massone

  2. Division of Environmental Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Alexandra Maria Giovanna Brunasso

  3. Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland, School of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Terri M. Biscak & H. Peter Soyer

Authors
  1. Cesare Massone
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  2. Alexandra Maria Giovanna Brunasso
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  3. Terri M. Biscak
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  4. H. Peter Soyer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cesare Massone .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland School of, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Queensland, Australia

    Hans Peter Soyer

  2. Department of Dermatology, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna, 1090, Austria

    Michael Binder

  3. Royal Children's Hospital, Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Corner of Bramston Terrace & Herston Road, Herston, 4029, Queensland, Australia

    Anthony C. Smith

  4. School of Medicine - Princess Alexandra, Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Ipswich Road 199, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Elisabeth M.T. Wurm

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Massone, C., Brunasso, A.M.G., Biscak, T.M., Soyer, H.P. (2012). Teledermatopathology. In: Soyer, H., Binder, M., Smith, A., Wurm, E. (eds) Telemedicine in Dermatology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20801-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20801-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-20800-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-20801-0

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