Virtual Microscopy and Virtual Slides in Teaching, Diagnosis, and Research PDF

PREFACE

This book was inspired by the inaugural symposium on virtual slides in teaching, research, and diagnosis held in Charleston, South Carolina, November 2002 at which 115 histologists and pathologists were in attendance. The symposium was possible due to the support from Dr. Janice Lage, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Dr. Roger Markwald, Chair of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Medical University of South Carolina. It is the only volume available so far that specifically deals with the newly emerging technology of virtual microscopy and virtual slides and their various applications. The book covers all, or almost all, existing and emerging technologies in great detail. The contributed chapters are by pioneers and leading experts in this field. Their inventions and innovative applications have shaped the current status of this technology and will impact the future of this field. The book begins with an introductory chapter that gives a comprehensive account of the entire field guiding the readers through the flow of the book. The contents of the book are arranged logically into two major parts. Section I presents, in depth, the various existing and upcoming technologies in considerable technical detail with extensive discussions. Sections II, III and IV cover all aspects of applications ranging from teaching to diagnosis to research. We aim to give the readers a complete, comprehensive and balanced view of the latest knowledge in this exciting field.

Virtual microscopy and virtual slides are technologies that convert microscopic images into digital signals and transmit them over the Internet or other types of networks for distant viewing to achieve the purpose of remote analysis, teaching and diagnosis. With only a short history, the technologies of virtual microscopy and virtual slides have captured the imagination of many pathologists, morphologists, and microscopists and have been utilized in many applications. The technologies have also been branched into different approaches and each has its niche in certain applications. Four technological approaches for acquiring and viewing virtual slides currently available are presented in this book by their inventors and advocators so the readers will be able to appreciate the pros and cons of each available technology in their most authentic form and find the best approach to suit their own purposes.

The applications of virtual microscopy and virtual slides are wide and will eventually and inevitably penetrate many types of tasks currently performed by a light microscope. In addition, the new technology offers many advantages that a light microscope is incapable of achieving. More and more teaching of pathology and morphology utilize these technologies. The younger crop of students who grew up in the computer and Internet age display a distinct preference to virtual slides and virtual microscopes than the real ones. The tremendous potential of applications in diagnosis and standardization, for example, provides ample room for growth and development for morphological and computer scientists interested in this field. After all, we are only at the emerging period of a new and significant technology that promises to drastically change the way microscopic images are captured, transmitted, evaluated, and stored.

The value of this book is multifold. For scientists who plan to work on the new technologies themselves, this book provides ample details of a variety of technologies employed by many companies and universities. For the ones who intend to utilize this new technology in their teaching, diagnosis, or research, this book presents many examples of applications with analysis of results that serve as an invaluable guide and advice to future applications. For those who want to break into the field or simply keep abreast with the latest development of this fascinating discipline of science, this book is the most complete source of information available to give them a clear and complete picture of this emerging field. We hope you enjoy reading it.