Request for whole slide scans (internal pathology only)

All slide requests require a Request Form. A Description Form is also needed unless it is for CoPath use only.
Once the forms are filled out, slides may be put in the "slide scan box" in the Report Generation area of Surg Path.
Scanning in pathology: Overview

Background

This collection of cases has been assembled to provide an online reference to examples of both common and unusual cases. Each case contains a brief history and a digital slide. Other information may be available as appropriate.

Case Access

Cases may be accessed either by browsing through the collection by category or by searching for keywords.

Browse Cases Option

Each case is assigned to one or more site category, each with a subcategory. Cases may be filtered based on categories and subcategories. A list of all of the case categories, with a count of the number of cases in each category will be displayed as checkboxes. Select those categories whose cases you want to include in the display. Selecting multiple categories is treated with "OR" logic (a case may be in any of the selected categories). Note that since a case may be assigned to more than one category, the total number of cases in the various categories will be greater than the number of cases in the collection.

Each case is also assigned a difficulty rating. Each case can have one and only one difficulty. Select the desired difficulties for the cases you wish to have included in the display.

Cases may be presented in "reference" mode or in "unknown" mode. In reference mode, all of the information about the case is displayed, including the diagnosis. In unknown mode, only the categories and clinical history is automatically displayed. Additional information, including the diagnosis, is revealed on request. The display defaults to reference mode. To select "unknown" mode, check the box "Display as Unknowns" before pressing the "Find Cases" button.

Search Cases Option

Case searching allows cases to be retreived based on keywords present within the case diagnosis or other text fields for the case. Multiple text words may be entered, and they are searched using "AND" logic (the case must have all of the entered words in order to match). A checkbox determines whether the keyword search should be performed on the diagnosis field only (unchecked) or on all of the text fields associated with the case (including the labels of additional studies and the case contributor).

The results of keyword searches can also be presented in either "reference" mode or "unknown" mode, based on the setting of the "Display as Unknowns" checkbox.

Difficulty

Beginner: These cases are diagnostically straightforward and usually represent prototypical examples of commonly encountered entities.

Intermediate: These cases pose a diagnostic challenge to the experienced trainee but fall within the realm of knowledge of a general surgical pathologist. These are the types of cases that might appear on the anatomic pathology board examination.

Advanced: These cases present a challenging diagnostic dilemma or represent rare entities but fall within the realm of knowledge of a competent subspecialist. These are the types of cases that might appear on a subspecialty board exam.

Expert: These cases pose a diagnostic challenge that could foil a seasoned practitioner. They represent extraordinarily rare entities or diagnostic pitfalls in subspecialty practice.

The purpose of the difficulty classes is to allow users with different levels of experience to utilize the archive in a time efficient manner.

Instructions

Clicking on the "Instructions" link above will redisplay these instructions at any time.

Credits

Producer: Kristopher McKay, MD

Software Interface Development: John Sinard, MD, PhD

Content Editor: Kristopher McKay, MD

Data Entry: Jessica Reyes and Kristopher McKay, MD

Technical Support: Brian Paquin

Whole slide images obtained with an Aperio Slide Scanner