The multiple images (tiles or lines, respectively) are captured and digitally assembled (“stitched”) to generate a digital image of the entire slide.

Whole slide scanners capture images of tissue sections tile by tile or in a line-scanning fashion. 1 Nevertheless, its role in clinical diagnostics, education, and research has begun to materialize, and rapid adoption of WSI in pathology laboratories will likely follow. The regulatory apparatus that governs this technology in the United States is just starting to come together, with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance having been granted only a year ago and accreditation agencies still working to establish comprehensive policies that ensure proper validation and use. This has led to a number of new opportunities not possible using conventional microscopes, including digital collaboration/telepathology, integration with electronic workflows and health records, and diagnostic support based on computational tools like artificial intelligence. Using modern WSI systems, pathologists can navigate a virtual slide in much the same way they navigate Google Maps.

With the advent of whole slide imaging (WSI), pathologists have begun to transfer the act of viewing glass slides from the microscope to the computer monitor. Pathology as a practice vitally relies on the accurate interpretation of microscopic images in order to correctly diagnose patients and guide therapeutic decision making. Nevertheless, implementation of WSI remains a difficult prospect for many institutions, especially those with stakeholders unfamiliar with the technologies necessary to implement a system or who cannot effectively communicate to executive leadership and sponsors the benefits of a technology that may lack clear and immediate reimbursement opportunity. In the wake of the first regulatory clearance of WSI for primary diagnosis in the United States, some barriers to adoption have fallen. Although the benefits of WSI to pathology practices, academic centers, and research institutions are many, the complexities of implementation remain an obstacle to widespread adoption. Its basic function is to digitize glass slides, but its impact on pathology workflows, reproducibility, dissemination of educational material, expansion of service to underprivileged areas, and intrainstitutional and interinstitutional collaboration exemplifies a significant innovative movement with far-reaching effects. Whole slide imaging (WSI) represents a paradigm shift in pathology, serving as a necessary first step for a wide array of digital tools to enter the field.

Ts view digital imaging software