Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32026707›Full record

ArticleAnnals of Saudi medicine

Whole slide imaging compared with light microscopy for primary diagnosis in surgical neuropathology: a validation study.

Ali Alassiri, Amna Almutrafi, Fahd Alsufiani, Atheer Al Nehkilan, Alaa Al Salim, Hesham Musleh, Mohammad Aziz, Walid Khalbuss

Open access · diamondAbstract readComparative StudyValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of Saudi medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Integrating digital pathology into clinical practice.Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc · 2022
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ali AlassiriFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Amna AlmutrafiFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fahd AlsufianiFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Atheer Al NehkilanFrom the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Alaa Al SalimFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hesham MuslehFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad AzizFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Walid KhalbussFrom the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdulaziz Medical City · SAKing Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences · SA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDigital pathology practice is rapidly gaining popularity among practicing anatomic pathologists. Acceptance is higher among the newer generation of pathologists who are willing to adapt to this new diagnostic method due to the advantages offered by whole slide imaging (WSI) compared to traditional light microscopy (TLM). We performed this validation study because we plan to implement the WSI system for diagnostic services.

objectivesDetermine the feasibility of using digital pathology for diagnostic services by assessing the equivalency of WSI and TLM.

designA laboratory-based cross-sectional study.

settingCentral laboratory at a tertiary health care center. MATERIALS AND

methodsFour practicing surgical pathologists participated in this study. Each pathologist blindly reviewed 60 surgical neuropathology cases with a minimum 8-week washout-period between the two diagnostic modalities (WSI vs. TLM). Intraobserver concordance rates between WSI and TLM diagnoses as compared to the original diagnosis were calculated.

main outcome measuresOverall intraobserver concordance rates between each diagnostic method (WSI and TLM) and original diagnosis. SAMPLE SIZE: 60 in-house surgical neuropathology cases.

resultsThe overall intraobserver concordance rate between TLM and original diagnosis was 86.3% (range 76.7%-91.7%) versus 80.8% for WSI (range 68.3%-88.3%). These findings are suggestive of the superiority of TLM, but the Fleiss' Kappa statistic indicated that the two methods are equivalent, despite the low level of the K value.

conclusionWSI is not inferior to the light microscopy and is feasible for primary diagnosis in surgical neuropathology. However, to ensure the best results, only formally trained neuropathologists should handle the digital neuropathology service. LIMITATIONS: Only one diagnostic slide per case rather than the whole set of slides, sample size was relatively small, and there was an insufficient number of participating neuropathologists. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Indexed as

Cross-Sectional StudiesFeasibility StudiesHumansImage Interpretation, Computer-AssistedMicroscopyNervous System DiseasesNeuropathologyObserver VariationPathology, SurgicalReproducibility of Results

Identifiers

PMID32026707
PMCPMC7012027
OpenAlexW3004625395

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.