Basic concepts in digitizing slides: An overview
Omnia Samir, Ebtissam Alerraqi · Advances in clinical and experimental Dentistry/Advances in clinical and experimental Dentistry · 2023
BackgroundDigital pathology involves the conversion of physical slides into digital formats for advanced analysis. Digitization begins with placing the physical slide on a scanner for imaging. Various file formats like MRXS, NDPI, iSyntax, DICOM, and SVS are used to store high-resolution images of whole slides.Objective This overview highlights the importance of each stage in digitizing slides for generating accurate and reliable results.Method This overview compares famous software viewers; namely, 3DHistech’s PANNORAMIC and Roche’s navify®, Clinical Viewer and InstantViewer.Results Digitizing and analyzing physical slides in digital pathology is a multi-step process involving sample preparation, scanning, image processing, and analysis. Advances in digital pathology software, cloud storage, and image analysis algorithms are enhancing the field’s capabilities, although challenges in image quality and integration persist.Advances in knowledgeWhile digital pathology offers significant advantages in terms of advanced analysis, data accessibility, and automation, it also presents challenges related to image quality, storage, integration, and the expertise required to utilize specialized tools.