The Use of Static Telecytology Applications for Accreditational Purposes

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stavros Archondakis
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Pap Smears ◽  
File Transfer Protocol ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Iso 15189 ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ultrasonographic Guidance ◽  
Histological Confirmation

This study aims to examine the feasibility of developing a proficiency testing scheme for cytology labs wishing to be accredited according to ISO 15189:2012, by using low cost telemedical applications. Two hundred forty-eight fine-needle aspiration specimens from patients preoperatively aspirated under ultrasonographic guidance and 208 pap smears with histological confirmation were retrospectively selected from the department's registry. Three diagnostic categories of cytological reports were used. Ten characteristic images from each case were transferred via file transfer protocol to password-protected accounts for remote review by three independent cytopathologists. Contributor's and reviewer's diagnoses were collected, recorded and statistically evaluated. No significant difference in diagnostic accuracy could be detected between the diagnoses proffered on the basis of digitized images and conventional slides.

The Use of Static Telemedical Applications of Cytopathology for Proficiency Testing

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stavros Archondakis
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Pap Smears ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Quality Control Program ◽  
Iso 15189 ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ultrasonographic Guidance ◽  
Histological Confirmation

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of developing an external quality control program for cytopathology labs wishing to be accredited according to ISO 15189:2007, by using low cost telemedical applications and solutions. One hundred twenty four fine-needle aspiration specimens from patients preoperatively aspirated under ultrasonographic guidance and on 104 pap smears with histological confirmation were retrospectively selected from the department’s registry. Three diagnostic categories of cytological reports were used. Ten characteristic images from each case were transferred via file transfer protocol to password-protected accounts for re-mote review by five independent cytopathologists. In addition to diagnosis, reviewers also commented on overall digital image quality. Contributor’s and reviewer’s diagnoses were collected, recorded and statistically evaluated. No significant difference in diagnostic accuracy could be detected between the diagnoses proffered on the basis of digitized images and conventional slides.

scholarly journals Implementation of Precaptured Videos of Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology Specimens for External Quality Control Purposes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archondakis S ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Proficiency Testing ◽  
Video Quality ◽  
Surgical Excision ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Cytological Diagnosis ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Iso 15189 ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration ◽  
Needle Aspiration Cytology

Objective: The objective of this study was examine the feasibility of developing a proficiency testing scheme for cytology labs wishing to be accredited according to ISO 15189:2012, by using videos captured by static telecytological applications. Methods: The current study was carried out on 252 adequate specimens of 157 patients, retrospectively selected from the department’s registry. In all cases, surgical excision followed the initial cytological diagnosis. Three diagnostic categories of cytological reports were used. All cases were confirmed by histological diagnosis of surgical specimens. One representative video from each case was transferred via file transfer protocol to password-protected accounts for remote review by 3 independent cytopathologists. In addition to diagnosis, reviewers commented on overall digital video quality. Contributor’s and reviewer’s diagnoses were collected, recorded and statistically evaluated. Results: Statistical evaluation of cytological diagnoses detected no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the diagnoses proffered on the basis of precaptured videos and conventional slides. The overall interobserver agreement was ranging from substantial to almost perfect. Conclusions: Videos production by static telecytology applications can be used as an alternative method for cytological diagnosis validation. It is a prompt and valid method for quality assessment and proficiency testing and can be integrated into daily workflow. Pre-captured videos can improve significantly small cytology departments’ quality indices. Precaptured videos can also be used for teleconsultation and second opinion purposes and improve the performance of the already existing static telecytology stations.

Comparative Use of Videos and Images Captured by Static Telecytological Applications for Quality Control and Teleconsultation Purposes

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-40
Author(s):  
Stavros K. Archondakis
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Statistical Evaluation ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
File Transfer Protocol ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Cervical Smears ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Liquid Based Cytology ◽  
Remote Evaluation

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of implementing short videos captured by static telecytological applications for remote evaluation of cervical smears prepared by means of liquid-based cytology. The study was performed on representative short videos captured from a total of 404 cervical smears that were transferred via file transfer protocol to password-protected accounts for remote review by three independent cytopathologists. Statistical evaluation of cytological diagnoses detected no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the diagnoses proffered on the basis of short videos and digital images. Short videos production by static telecytology applications can be used as an alternative method for telecytological diagnosis of cervical smears, particularly for quality control purposes.

Implementation of pre-captured videos for remote cytological evaluation of salivary gland lesions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2199506
Author(s):  
Stavros Archondakis ◽  
Maria Roma ◽  
Kaladelfou Evropi
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Fine Needle Aspiration ◽  
Video Quality ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Video Production ◽  
Malignant Neoplasms ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Fine Needle ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Cytological Evaluation

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementing videos captured by static telecytological applications for remote cytological evaluation of fine needle aspiration specimens from salivary gland lesions. Methods The current study was carried out on 102 fine needle aspiration specimens from salivary gland lesions with histological confirmation (benign lesions, 11; benign neoplasms, 68; malignant neoplasms, 23), retrospectively selected from the department’s registry. Videos were transferred via file transfer protocol to password-protected accounts for remote review by three independent cytopathologists. In addition to diagnosis, reviewers commented on overall digital video quality. Contributor’s and reviewer’s diagnoses were collected, recorded and statistically evaluated. Results Statistical evaluation of cytological diagnoses detected no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the diagnoses proffered on the basis of pre-captured videos and conventional slides. The overall interobserver agreement was ranging from substantial to almost perfect with κ values of 0.71–0.89. Conclusions Video production by static telecytology applications can be used as an alternative method for telecytological diagnosis of salivary gland fine needle aspirations. Videos of salivary gland fine needle aspirations can be used for rapid and accurate diagnosis, by diminishing turn-around times and improving the quality indices of small cytology departments. They can also be used for archiving, teleconsultation, educational and second opinion purposes, improving the performance of the already existing static telecytology stations.

Spectraplot: A PC-based spectrum translation and display program

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 918-919
Author(s):  
H. O. Colijn
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Transfer Data ◽  
Error Checking ◽  
Data Files ◽  
The University

Many labs today wish to transfer data between their EDS systems and their existing PCs and minicomputers. Our lab has implemented SpectraPlot, a low- cost PC-based system to allow offline examination and plotting of spectra. We adopted this system in order to make more efficient use of our microscopes and EDS consoles, to provide hardcopy output for an older EDS system, and to allow students to access their data after leaving the university.As shown in Fig. 1, we have three EDS systems (one of which is located in another building) which can store data on 8 inch RT-11 floppy disks. We transfer data from these systems to a DEC MINC computer using “SneakerNet”, which consists of putting on a pair of sneakers and running down the hall. We then use the Hermit file transfer program to download the data files with error checking from the MINC to the PC.

Increse of newly - detected in situ cancers in non-palpable breast lesions

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-75
Author(s):  
N. Miletic ◽  
D. Stojiljkovic ◽  
M. Inic ◽  
M. Prekajski ◽  
A. Celebic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Tissue ◽  
Malignant Disease ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Basal Membrane ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Screening Mammography ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Malignant Lesions

Great importance in detecting cancer in the phase of in situ lays in the fact that the epithelial layer is deprived of blood and lymph vessels, so metastases may develop only when basal membrane has been broken. This paper includes 46 operated women in whom it preoperatively had been verified suspect non-palpable lesion. The preoperative diagnostics included use of high- resolution mammography, aimed mammography, palpatory examination, as well as fine-needle aspiration (FNA), biopsy and cytologic analysis of the sample. The methodology of this work implies the use of stereotaxic marking, specimen mammography and ex-tempore pathohistology analysis. Out of 46 investigated patients in clinical stage T0N0M0, in whom there were no signs of malignant disease, and according to suspect lesion of initial screening mammography, malignant lesions of breast tissue were diagnosed in 19 patients (41%) intraoperatively. Three of these lesions (15,8%) were histopathologically verified as in situ. Comparing our results with data of the Institute of oncology and radiology of Serbia hospital registry (IORS) for the year 2001, from 1173 patients registered with malignant lesions, only 16 ones (1,4%) had in situ cancer, operated on the basis of the suspect mammography of clinical stage T0N0M0. Statistically significant difference was found related to the number of detected cancers in this early phase of the breast malignant disease. This limits surgical intervention to tumorectomy, with preservation of the remaining breast tissue, what brings to healing, justifying in that way, screening examinations and routine application of the most contemporary diagnostic procedures.

scholarly journals Quantification and Classification of Diclofenac Sodium Content in Dispersed Commercially Available Tablets by Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 440
Author(s):  
Eirini Siozou ◽  
Vasilios Sakkas ◽  
Nikolaos Kourkoumelis
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Diclofenac Sodium ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Attenuated Total Reflection ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ft Ir

A new methodology, based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy equipped with an attenuated total reflectance accessory (ATR FT-IR), was developed for the determination of diclofenac sodium (DS) in dispersed commercially available tablets using chemometric tools such as partial least squares (PLS) coupled with discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results of PLS-DA depicted a perfect classification of the tablets into three different groups based on their DS concentrations, while the developed model with PLS had a sufficiently low root mean square error (RMSE) for the prediction of the samples’ concentration (~5%) and therefore can be practically used for any tablet with an unknown concentration of DS. Comparison with ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectrophotometry as the reference method revealed no significant difference between the two methods. The proposed methodology exhibited satisfactory results in terms of both accuracy and precision while being rapid, simple and of low cost.

scholarly journals The Milan System, from Its Introduction to Its Current Adoption in the Diagnosis of Salivary Gland Cytology

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-122
Author(s):  
Esther Diana Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
International Group ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Neoplastic Process ◽  
Risk Of Malignancy ◽  
Well Differentiated

Salivary gland masses are often encountered in the everyday practice of cytopathology. It is commonly known that the cytologic interpretation of these lesions can pose diagnostic problems due to overlapping cytomorphologic features. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of salivary lesions shows good to excellent sensitivity and specificity in differentiating a neoplastic from a non-neoplastic process and in diagnosing common tumors such as pleomorphic adenoma. However, its value is limited in diagnosing specific neoplastic entities especially those with well-differentiated morphology. In light of this gap, an international group of pathologists has proposed a management-oriented, tiered classification for reporting salivary gland FNA specimens, “The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC)”. Similar to other classification systems, the MSRSGC scheme comprises six diagnostic categories, which were linked with a specific risk of malignancy (ROM) and management. In this review article, the author evaluated the published literature on FNA in diagnosing salivary gland lesions with the adoption of the Milan system since its introduction in the daily practice of salivary cytopathology.

The Application of Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Axillary Masses

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Cong-Gai Huang ◽  
Meng-Ze Li ◽  
Shao-Hua Wang ◽  
Xiao-Qin Tang ◽  
Johannes Haybaeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lymph Node ◽  
Fine Needle Aspiration ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Benign Lesions ◽  
Fine Needle ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Malignant Lesions ◽  
Axillary Mass

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> We intend to determine the diagnostic power of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for differentiation between malignant and benign lesions on axillary masses and draw the physicians’ attention to the benefits of FNAB cytology in the diagnosis of axillary masses. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this study, 1,328 patients with an axillary mass diagnosed by FNAB were retrospectively reviewed. These cases were registered at the affiliated hospital of Southwest Medical University (China), July 2014 to June 2017. Cytological results were verified either by histopathology following surgical resection or clinical follow-up. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the 1,328 patients affected by axillary masses, 987 (74.3%) cases were female, and 341 (25.7%) cases were male. The highest incidence of patients was in the age group of 41–50 years (375, 28.2%). There were 1,129 (85.0%) patients with benign lesions and 199 (15.0%) with malignant lesions. Of the 199 malignant lesions cases, 21 cases were lymphomas, 2 cases were accessory breast cancers, and 176 cases were lymph node metastatic tumors. Under lymph node metastases, the most frequent primary tumors were breast cancer (141, 80.1%), followed by lung cancer (21, 11.9%). According to the study, the characters of 1,328 cases showed statistically significant difference (χ<sup>2</sup> = 4.534, <i>p</i> = 0.033), and the incidence of females with axillary mass was significantly higher than that of males. There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of benign and malignant cases in the patient age groups (χ<sup>2</sup> = 1.129, <i>p</i> = 0.000), and the incidence of patients of 41–50 years of age was significantly higher than that of other patients. The diagnostic accuracy of FNAB in axillary masses was analyzed with the results of 95.98% of sensitivity, 99.56% of specificity, 97.45% of positive predictive value, and 99.29% of negative predictive value. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our results confirm that FNAB is a valuable initial screening method regarding pathologic diagnosis of axillary mass, in particular with respect to malignancy in 41- to 50-year-old female patients.

scholarly journals Corneal Biomechanical Parameters and Central Corneal Thickness in Glaucoma Patients, Glaucoma Suspects, and a Healthy Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2637
Author(s):  
Mª. Ángeles del Buey-Sayas ◽  
Elena Lanchares-Sancho ◽  
Pilar Campins-Falcó ◽  
María Dolores Pinazo-Durán ◽  
Cristina Peris-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Central Corneal Thickness ◽  
Corneal Thickness ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Biomechanical Parameters ◽  
The Mean

Purpose: To evaluate and compare corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), and central corneal thickness (CCT), measurements were taken between a healthy population (controls), patients diagnosed with glaucoma (DG), and glaucoma suspect patients due to ocular hypertension (OHT), family history of glaucoma (FHG), or glaucoma-like optic discs (GLD). Additionally, Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg) and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) were compared between the different groups of patients. Methods: In this prospective analytical-observational study, a total of 1065 patients (one eye of each) were recruited to undergo Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) testing, ultrasound pachymetry, and clinical examination. Corneal biomechanical parameters (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc were measured in the control group (n = 574) and the other groups: DG (n = 147), FHG (n = 78), GLD (n = 90), and OHT (n = 176). We performed a variance analysis (ANOVA) for all the dependent variables according to the different diagnostic categories with multiple comparisons to identify the differences between the diagnostic categories, deeming p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The mean CH in the DG group (9.69 mmHg) was significantly lower compared to controls (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 1.05, p < 0.001), FHG (10.70 mmHg; mean difference 1.00, p < 0.05), GLD (10.63 mmHg; mean difference 0.93, p < 0.05) and OHT (10.54 mmHg; mean difference 0.84, p < 0.05). No glaucoma suspects (FHG, GLD, OHT groups) presented significant differences between themselves and the control group (p = 1.00). No statistically significant differences were found in the mean CRF between DG (11.18 mmHg) and the control group (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 0.42, p = 0.40). The FHG and OHT groups showed significantly higher mean CRF values (12.32 and 12.41 mmHg, respectively) than the DG group (11.18 mmHg), with mean differences of 1.13 (p < 0.05) and 1.22 (p < 0.001), respectively. No statistically significant differences were found in CCT in the analysis between DG (562 μ) and the other groups (control = 556 μ, FHG = 576 μ, GLD = 569 μ, OHT = 570 μ). The means of IOPg and IOPcc values were higher in the DG patient and suspect groups than in the control group, with statistically significant differences in all groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study presents corneal biomechanical values (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc for diagnosed glaucoma patients, three suspected glaucoma groups, and a healthy population, using the ORA. Mean CH values were markedly lower in the DG group (diagnosed with glaucoma damage) compared to the other groups. No significant difference was found in CCT between the DG and control groups. Unexpectedly, CRF showed higher values in all groups than in the control group, but the difference was only statistically significant in the suspect groups (FHG, GLD, and OHT), not in the DG group.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document