Evaluation and comparison between smartphone and photomicrography based whole slide imaging

Area of Science:

• Digital Pathology
• Medical Imaging
• Oral Pathology

Background:

• Whole slide imaging (WSI) is a transformative technology in telepathology and slide-based diagnosis.
• Recent advancements enable WSI using smartphones with sophisticated photo analysis and stitching software.
• This study evaluates the efficacy of smartphone-based WSI against traditional photomicrography cameras.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic accuracy and efficiency of smartphone-based WSI versus photomicrography-based WSI.
• To assess the feasibility of using readily available smartphone technology for creating whole slide images.

Main Methods:

• Ten hematoxylin and eosin stained slides and ten ground section slides of teeth and bone were imaged.
• Images were captured using an iOS smartphone and a Jenoptik camera on a research microscope at 10x magnification.
• Adobe Photoshop was used for stitching images; two observers analyzed the resulting whole slide images for diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Observer agreement for smartphone WSI was 79.5% (Observer 1) and 83.7% (Observer 2).
• Observer agreement for photomicrography WSI was 86.3% (Observer 1) and 89.1% (Observer 2).
• Both methods demonstrated high agreement, indicating reliable diagnostic potential.

Conclusions:

• While research microscope WSI showed slightly higher agreement, smartphone-based WSI is a viable alternative.
• Both techniques can be employed for accurate slide-based diagnosis and telepathology applications.
• The study validates the use of accessible smartphone technology in digital pathology workflows.