PathLIVE software developed at Pathology Inc. is used to acquire digital image bookmarks, present virtual sldies at tumor conferences, and create virtual slide boxes of interesting cases.
How big are the digitized images ("digital slides")?
How long does it take to scan a slide?
How are digital slides compressed?
How are the digital slides stored?
Do you offer a slide scanning service?
How do I view my digital slides?
Do I need a special computer to view digital slides?
Can you perform image analysis on my immunohistochemical stlides?
How big are the digitized images ("digital slides")?
When scanned at 54,000 pixels per inch, a 15 mm x 15 mm area of a slide corresponds to a 2.8 GB file. A 20:1 JPEG2000 compression of this file results in a more manageable 140 MB file. Using a 40x objective lens (108,000 pixels per inch) the file size for the same area quadruples to 11.4 GB uncompressed, and 560 MB compressed. Smaller file sizes can be realized at higher compression ratios.
How long does it take to scan a slide?
The scan time is proportional to the area of the slide that is scanned: approximately 40 mm2/minute at 20x, and 10 mm2/minute at 40x. These times correspond to a data rate of 500 MB per minute. A 15mm x 15mm region can be scanned in approximately 5 minutes at 20x. Aperio is continually making ScanScope scanners faster, so please check back with us for the latest scan time estimates.
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How are digital slides compressed?
ScanScope scanners generate TIFF data that are immediately viewable after scanning using Aperio's ImageScope viewer. TIFF data are not compressed. In addition, the Digital Slide Studio module provides a means of compressing the TIFF data into a single JPEG2000 file at a user-selectable quality (compression ratio).
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How are the digital slides stored?
Images are stored in a multi-terrabyte RAID. If you wish, we can also send you individual images (noting the large file size) on a CD or DVD for storage at your own facility.
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Do you offer a slide scanning service?
Yes, we scan slides on a service basis. You may order the slide scans on line, via email, or by calling our laboratory. Please see this link for more details.
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How do view my digital slides?
Digital slides are too large to be emailed or sent across a network. Aperio and Pathology Inc. have developed two software solutions for remotely accessing digital slides: a web server and a client/server option.
The web server at Pathology Inc. allows digital slides to be efficiently displayed on a web page for remote access by any web browser - without requiring a download or plug-in.
Aperio's ImageScope viewer (client) and ImageServer (server) software offers a robust, fully functional viewing environment. ImageScope is freely downloadable and provides simple and fast navigation, with instant pan to any region and instant zoom to any magnification. ImageScope's intuitive and feature-rich interface provides real-time contrast, brightness, and gamma adjustments for image enhancement and a built-in ruler for making on-the-spot measurements. A macroscopic (thumbnail) view of the entire specimen is provided at all times, making it easy to navigate the digital slide without getting lost. For digital slides containing z-stacks, ImageScope supports fast and seamless depth-of-focus viewing. Other advanced capabilities such as annotation authoring, location referencing, and side-by-side viewing of multiple digital slides are also enabled in the ImageScope environment. The speed and functionality of the client / server software are superior to that of the web server application. Go to our support page to download ImageScope.
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Do I need a special computer to view digital slides?
The viewing computer should be a reasonably fast PC with 256 MB of RAM.
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Can you perform image analysis on my immunohistochemical stlides?
Yes, our system has a number of image algorythims for HER2, P53, etc. See this link for more information.
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The Future of Pathology
