DIGITAL PATHOLOGY Vs MANUAL PATHOLOGY

DIGITAL PATHOLOGY Vs MANUAL PATHOLOGY

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WHAT IS PATHOLOGY?

It is a branch of medical science that studies and diagnoses various body samples like blood, tissues, body fluid, etc.

 The samples collected are examined clearly by pathologists(doctors who have undergone training in laboratory techniques), to find the cause and effect of the disease and thus help doctors to determine the path of treatment.

The cause of the disease, the mechanism of its occurrence, and the extent of the particular disease can be figured out by a detailed examination of the collected sample.

Pathological studies are commonly used in cancer diagnoses.

 The main instrument used in a pathological laboratory is a microscope. The tissue taken from the patient is made to undergo several procedures                     ( sectioning, staining, and fixing) and is then mounted on a slide. These slides are then observed by a pathologist to give out test results.

THE COMMON  PATHOLOGY FIELDS ARE:

• Surgical pathology

• Cytopathology

• Molecular pathology

SURGICAL PATHOLOGY

In surgical pathology, the samples are removed during surgery. The removed tissue is first physically examined with the naked eye and then processed and are examined under a microscope.

 After careful examination, we can distinguish between a noncancerous and a cancerous cell, any early change in genetic structure that may lead to cancer or the infectious agents in body tissues.

CYTOPATHOLOGY

Only a small amount of body tissue or fluid is taken in cytopathological examinations. The specimen includes blood, lymph, body fluid, etc here surgery is not needed to collect the required sample. 

The cells present in these tissues or fluids are carefully examined under a microscope any change in the characteristics, number, or behavior of these cells are studied to detect diseases. Cytopathology is commonly used in screening or diagnosing cancer, but it is also used in almost every field of medicine.

MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY

The molecular pathological analysis gives the most accurate test results compared to other pathological assays. Molecular pathology is used for the diagnosis of various infectious diseases and cancer.

 Techniques like PCR,microsaay, hybridization, and various immunofluorescence are made used in molecular pathology.

 MANUAL PATHOLOGY Vs DIGITAL PATHOLOGY

What is manual pathology?

In manual pathology or conventional pathology, the sample collected from a patient is first physically observed then processed and fixed in a slide for examination.

The steps in the  preparation of the slide are:

• Sectioning 

• Staining

Sectioning

This is a step that needs immense skill and practice since the tissue is fragile and may get damaged while sectioning this can be said the critical step in the pathological analysis.

The commonly used sectioning techniques are;

1. Freezing

2. Use of Paraffin blocks

Freezing

Dry ice,  liquid nitrogen,  cold contract,  commercial sprays are used to prevent the tissue from getting damaged while examining.

Use of paraffin blocks

The issue is solidified into paraffin blocks and then cut into thin segments of 3-4micron with the help of a sharp knife called a microtome.

Staining

Before staining the tissue is dipped in xylol(70%,80%,95%) to remove wax and then stained using Hematoxylin, eosin stain, or Papanicolaou stain is used normally for histopathologic purposes.

Manual pathology is time-consuming because a large number of samples need to be examined to keep up with accuracy, have to adjust the microscope each time we examine a slide, and need an expert pathologist in every step from sampling, proceeding to test interpretation.

WHAT IS DIGITAL PATHOLOGY?

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 Digital pathology can be called the future of pathology. A combination of microscope and digital technology is used in digital pathology.

The samples collected by various pathological techniques are processed and glass slides are made These glass slides are scanned and observed on the computer monitor which is called digital slides. The slide can be viewed from different angles and can be magnified with better clarification.

 

DIGITAL PATHOLOGY AND THEIR BENEFITS

Accuracy and faster delivery of the test result are the important advantages of digital pathology. when using a microscope alone for the examination of sample tissues, the chance of misidentification is more. That can be rectified when we use a digital approach and thus productivity is increased.

This innovative field help pathologist to have better access to specimen and the ideas and queries can be easily shared with other pathologist and scientist.

Important advantages of digital pathology are

• 100% accuracy

• Error-free 

• Faster test results

• Detailed study of the specimen.

• Data can be stored easily for further reference.