Practical applications of Internet resources for cost-effective telepathology practice

Telepathology is the interpretation of digital microscopy images on a computer monitor at a significant distance from the location of original histology slides. Its use has proliferated globally and is part of routine practice in many laboratories. Even so, many perceive telepathology as requiring heavy initial capital expenditure. However, telepathology may be implemented in a wide variety of ways, some inexpensive. The limiting factor is often the technical knowledge and skill of the pathologist, not the technology or economics. The Internet is a versatile medium that may act as a repository of information in telepathology or as a communication conduit for either real-time (dynamic or robotic) or store-and-forward (static) methods. PubMed is an excellent starting point for literature research, with many journals providing full versions of their articles online to subscribers. However, these are largely in other fields of medicine and good online resources dedicated to telepathology techniques and information are less easily found. As a conduit for communication, the Internet can be the most economical option. Nearly every form of telepathology may use the Internet, provided there is sufficient bandwidth. Several techniques applied to general imaging may be used in store-and-forward telepathology. This article outlines some examples and discusses their relative merits.