Current status of telepathology

Telepathology is moving from the experimental stage to become a regular feature of pathology practice. This has been made possible by technical advances in telecommunications and image processing. Since 1990 the University Hospital of Tromsø has provided local hospitals in northern Norway with a remote frozen section service and with access to video conferences for the review of microscopic findings and for the discussion of major diagnostic issues. Several other hospitals in Norway are now participating in this development and practical relations among pathology laboratories for the purpose of consultation and education will be the next step in the procedure. Similar developments in telepathology have taken place in other countries. Standardization of network and telepathology workstations will be needed before extensive international collaboration can be achieved. Progress in high quality video devices, high capacity telecommunication lines and improved image compression techniques will increase the usage of telepathology services and make them cost-effective. Thus, telepathology will contribute to the development of pathology services in the next century.