Feasibility study of single-image super-resolution scanning system based on deep learning for pathological diagnosis...

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of applying deep learning combined with a super-resolution scanner for the digital scanning and diagnosis of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) slides. A model of a super-resolution digital slide scanning system based on deep learning was built and trained using 40 pathological slides of oral epithelial tissue. Two hundred slides with definite OED diagnoses were scanned into digital slides by the DS30R and Nikon scanners, and the scanner parameters were obtained for comparison. Considering that diagnosis under a microscope is the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of OED pathological feature recognition by the same pathologist when reading different scanner images were evaluated. Furthermore, the consistency of whole-slide diagnosis results obtained by pathologists using various digital scanning imaging systems was assessed. This was done to evaluate the feasibility of the super-resolution digital slide-scanning system, which is based on deep learning, for the pathological diagnosis of OED. The DS30R scanner processes an entire slide in a single layer within 0.25 min, occupying 0.35GB of storage. In contrast, the Nikon scanner requires 15 min for scanning, utilizing 0.5GB of storage. Following model training, the system enhanced the clarity of imaging pathological sections of oral epithelial tissue. Both the DS30R and Nikon scanners demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity for detecting structural features in OED pathological images; however, DS30R excels at identifying certain cellular features. The agreement in full-section diagnostic conclusions by the same pathologist using different imaging systems was exceptionally high, with kappa values of 0.969 for DS30R-optical microscope and 0.979 for DS30R-Nikon-optical microscope. The performance of the super-resolution microscopic imaging system based on deep learning has improved. It preserves the diagnostic information of the OED and addresses the shortcomings of existing digital scanners, such as slow imaging speed, large data volumes, and challenges in rapid transmission and sharing. This high-quality super-resolution image lays a solid foundation for the future popularization of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and will aid AI in the accurate diagnosis of oral potential malignant diseases.