High-throughput high-resolution microscopic slide digitization for pathology
Jeffrey A. Beckstead, Robert Dawson, Patricia A. Feineigle, John R. Gilbertson, Christopher Hauser, Timothy McVaugh, Francesco Palmieri, D Sholehvar, Arthur Willis Wetzel · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2003
Pathologist study tissue samples to determine the presence and nature of diseases. Morphology is a critical component to identifying cellular and tissue structures and the functional changes produced by disease. Technical advances in the field of pathology have primarily been in the areas of tissue preparation and the staining process that enhances the pathologist's identification of these structures. Pathologist's primary tool for diagnosis has remained the same for over a century--the optical microscope. Radiology has made tremendous advances with digitization and the ease of exchange and image analysis that comes with digital data and today's computer technology. Pathology is primed to enter the digital era as well. The major hurdles to wide spread acceptance of conversion to digital pathological imaging have been image resolution, scanner throughput, image file size and image display rates. InterScope Technologies, Inc. has developed a high-throughput, high-resolution microscopic slide digitization system that is well suited for pathological examination and diagnosis. This system is fully automated, captures at 0.3 μm per pixel, and can capture a slide in under 3 minutes, and has the potential to capture much faster. This paper will present the technical challenges associated with digital pathological imaging and how InterScope has addressed these challenges in the development of their digital scanner.