Development of Automatic Portable Pathology Scanner and Its Evaluation for Clinical Practice

Area of Science:

• Digital pathology
• Medical imaging
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Traditional glass slides are digitized into whole slide images (WSIs) for improved pathological diagnosis.
• High costs of conventional WSI scanners limit their use in remote or underserved regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an affordable, portable cytopathology scanner, Landing-Smart, for remote areas.
• To enable efficient digital pathology through mobile internet connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Developed Landing-Smart, a compact device integrating a smartphone, slide carrier, electric controller, and optical imaging unit.
• Utilized smartphone camera for image acquisition and mobile internet for real-time cloud uploading.
• Implemented cloud-based image processing and stitching to generate WSIs.

Main Results:

• Landing-Smart costs under $3000, significantly less than general WSI scanners.
• The device demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy to general scanners in assessing 209 cervical cytological specimens.
• The system successfully generated WSIs from cytological samples.

Conclusions:

• Landing-Smart provides a cost-effective solution for digital pathology in resource-limited settings.
• The portable scanner facilitates preliminary cytological screening in underdeveloped areas.
• This technology can enhance pathological diagnostic capabilities globally.