This article is part of the supplement: New trends in digital pathology: Proceedings of the 9th European Congress on Telepathology and 3rd International Congress on Virtual Microscopy .

Proceedings

Web conferencing systems: Skype and MSN in telepathology

Clóvis Klock¹ and Regina de Paula Xavier Gomes²

¹  Hospital Santa Teresinha, Erechim – RS, Brazil

²  Laboratório CPD – Citologia e Patologia Diagnosticas Ltda, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

author email corresponding author email

Diagnostic Pathology 2008, 3(Suppl 1):S13doi:10.1186/1746-1596-3-S1-S13

Published:	15 July 2008

Abstract

Virtual pathology is a very important tool that can be used in several ways, including interconsultations with specialists in many areas and for frozen sections. We considered in this work the use of Windows Live Messenger and Skype for image transmission. The conference was made through wide broad internet using Nikon E 200 microscope and Digital Samsung Colour SCC-131 camera. Internet speed for transmission varied from 400 Kb to 2.0 Mb. Both programs allow voice transmission concomitant to image, so the communication between the involved pathologists was possible using microphones and speakers. Alive image could be seen by the receptor pathologist who was able to ask for moving the field or increase/diminish the augmentation. No phone call or typing required. The programs MSN and Skype can be used in many ways and with different operational systems installed in the computer. The capture system is simple and relatively cheap, what proves the viability of the system to be used in developing countries and in cities where do not exist pathologists. With the improvement of software and the improvement of digital image quality, associated to the use of the high speed broad band Internet this will be able to become a new modality in surgical pathology.