Developmental Projects
Digital Gross Imaging ProjectObjective:
To enhance the Department of Pathology gross laboratories with the introduction of digital gross imaging.
- Sony SX-910 digital camera – The new Sony digital camera is a compact, lightweight camera, which provides uncompressed, high-resolution, digital images. Currently, we have tested the camera in the UPMC Health System PUH gross laboratory with less than favorable results due to the recommended macro lens (poor fine focus). Sony and Cerner/DHT were provided with the current macro lens dimensions and are working on providing a comparable lens.
- Trestle/CLARiENT grossing station – This portable, continuous autofocus grossing station will be evaluated at the UPMC Health System PUH gross laboratory on October 24, 2006. It is extremely important that objects in every size can be picked up in full resolution and this area will be highly scrutinized.
Camera/Imaging Device Integration with CoPathPlus PICSPlus
Objective:
Our goal is to accomplish direct acquisition of images from other camera and/or imaging device into PICSPlus.
Updates:
Cerner/DHT Software Architects are currently working on two imaging devices that are being used clinical in the Department of Pathology:
- Nikon Coolscope – This device provides the ability to observe, acquire images and communicate over the network. To date, Cerner/DHT developers have not provided information on the development of this project.
- Trestle/CLARiENT MedScan digital imaging product – It performs high-speed whole glass slide digitization. By capturing digital images of tissue samples and enabling the sharing, archiving, and analysis of these images. Multiple physicians can remotely view and share microscopic images over standard Internet connections in real time. Cerner/DHT are planning to release a PICSPlus upgrade in early 2007.
Digital Imaging and Microscopy
- Aperio - T2 – A Virtual microscopy systems that deliver integrated digital slide creation, viewing, management, and analysis capabilities to pathologists. Using 200 DVD Jukebox with EMC ArchiveXtender to automatically store data on optical media with seamless access.
Current Users: Cytopath, Neuropath, Histopath, GU Labs. Current Install Sites: UPMC Cancer Pavilion. Slide scanned: ~8,764. Space used: ~2 TB
- Trestle - SL50 – Allows remote, unattended access to up to 50 glass slides concurrently. This provides remote users with the ability to review multiple slides without the need for an attendant at the MedMicro device location. By automating the slide loading and unloading process, the pathologist has the flexibility to work with a large virtual catalog of slides at any time.
Current Users: Dermpath, Neuropath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Cancer Pavilion, Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC. Slide scanned: ~11,477. Space used: ~2 TB
- Bacus – NanoZoomer – Offers the flexibility of both brightfield and fluorescence imaging in one reliable, easy to use, robust system. Up to 210 slides are automatically scanned at 20x or 40x using a 4096 x 64 pixel CCD continuous scan technology.
Current Users: Cytopath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside. Slide scanned: ~600. Space used: ~240GB
- CRi's Nuance - Multispectral Imaging System – is a breakthrough system that converts any brightfield or fluorescent microscope into a multispectral imaging workstation. It can also be used for larger specimens, such as embryos, zebrafish, plants, or microtiter plates when mounted on a fluorescence microscope.
Current Users: Cytopath, Cellular & Molecular Pathology, Breast and Gynecologic Pathology. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Montifiore, Magee Womens Hospital. Slide scanned: ~428. Space used: ~8GB
- Applied Imaging Ariol SL-50 – Quantifies genetic markers and protein expression through automated image analysis, which characterizes labeled cells through color and morphometric analysis. The system features the company's Ariol software and the SL-50 slide loader, which offers the pathologist high throughput and automated slide scanning for objective and accurate quantification of stained cells.
Current Users: Dermpath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside. Slide scanned: ~166. Space used: ~675GB
Remote Microscopy
- Coolscope – In an all-in-one design that combines a microscope with a digital camera and network functions into the tower unit.
Current Users: Neuropath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside
- Trestle -SL4 – Microscopy product, allows multiple physicians and scientists to remotely view, navigate, and share high fidelity microscope images at sub-micron resolution over standard Internet connections in real-time. Also allows remote, unattended, high volume access to microscope images over standard Internet/LAN lines.
Current Users: Dermpath, Neuropath, VA. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Presbyterian, Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC.
- DN100 Digital Network Camera – Platform-independent, Internet-capable digital camera system that` can be utilized to deliver live or captured images to a local computer in the laboratory or to a remote computer anywhere in the world.
Current Users: Dermpath, Neuropath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Presbyterian
- Olympus DP71 Netcam – Designed for use with the Olympus DP71 cameras, and Olympus-Soft Imaging Solutions' FireWire cameras (FVII, CC12, CVII, and CVIII) and Altra 20 CMOS camera, NetCam uses TCP/IP to broadcast a live image over the Internet via an assigned static IP address.
Current Users: Dermpath, Cytology (on wheels). Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside
- Nikon DS-5M-L1 – Combines a camera head (DS-5M), based on a 5-megapixel Bayer-masked color matrix CCD detector, with a camera control unit (CCU, DS-L1) that incorporates a 6.3-inch LCD monitor to display high-resolution images in progressive or interlaced mode.
Current Users: Dermpath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside
- QuickCam Pro 9000 – Webcam image-perfect detail and clarity. Carl Zeiss optics and autofocus keep images razor-sharp, even in extreme close-ups.
Current Users: Neuropath. Current Install Sites: UPMC Shadyside
Summary of UPMC Research in Whole Slide Imaging Conducted as Part of the IMITS Telepathology Project
This research was designed to, not only demonstrate the utility of WSI as a technology, but also to show that Digital Slides can be used reliably in the real world and clinical environment. Over the past year, UPMC conducted controlled validation studies to assess the feasibility and functionality of using WSI to perform Quality Assurance and Primary Diagnosis in pathology.
Controlled Clinical Validation Studies were conducted to assess the capabilities and limitations of current commercial systems for use in clinical activities.
The IMITS Telepathology Project studied the use of WSI in three important areas of surgical pathology practice:
- Quality Assurance Study
Publication: Ho J, Parwani AV, Jukic DM, Yagi Y, Anthony L, Gilbertson JR (March 2006). Use of whole slide imaging in surgical pathology quality assurance: design and pilot validation studies. Human Pathology, 2006; 37(3):322-31.
- Primary Diagnosis Study
Publication: Gilbertson, JR, Ho, J, Anthony, L, Jukic, DM, Yagi, Y, Parwani, AV (April 2006). Primary histologic diagnosis using automated whole slide imaging: a validation study. BioMedical Central Clinical Pathology 2006, 6:4.
- Immunohistochemistry Study
Manuscript being prepared for publication.
- Frozen Section Study (currently being implemented)
Vendor and Technology Evaluations are being conducted to assess the current state-of-the-art in the WSI industry and projections about how the industry is evolving. The IMITS Telepathology Project is testing and challenging the most advanced products (and the companies’ stated goals) in a series of technology evaluations.
Informatics infrastructure assessments are being conducted to provide recommendations for WSI robots for effective use in a large-scale clinical environment. To assess this, the IMITS project is examining lessons learned from their clinical validation studies as well as series of integration experiments outside the scope of the Telepathology Project. The group is working to begin specifying the necessary requirements for Data Sharing and Barcoding for WSI Robot Integration.
