Digital Pathology Displays Under Pressure: Benchmarking Performance Across Market Grades

Area of Science:

• Pathology
• Medical Imaging
• Display Technology

Background:

• Digital pathology (DP) is revolutionizing diagnostics by digitizing glass slides.
• Limited research exists on the comparative efficiency of DP monitors versus other imaging fields like radiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the performance of medical-grade (MG) and consumer off-the-shelf (COTS) displays for digital pathology sign-out.
• To assess key display parameters under simulated workload conditions.

Main Methods:

• A stress test simulating an 8-hour workday of DP sign-out was employed over one month.
• Four displays (three MG, one COTS) were evaluated for luminance, contrast ratio, accuracy, and image uniformity.

Main Results:

• MG displays demonstrated superior performance in critical parameters compared to COTS displays.
• All displays showed image uniformity deterioration exceeding 2.5% over the study period.
• COTS displays were found satisfactory for diagnostic purposes despite lower performance.

Conclusions:

• MG displays are recommended for optimal digital pathology performance.
• Regular display calibration is essential for maintaining accuracy in DP.
• Further research is needed to establish validation protocols and understand display aging effects on DP accuracy.