High-resolutiom digital image processing in the analysis of pathological materials

• US 20040030232A1
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ohio State University
• Original Assignee: Ohio State University
• Inventors: Barsky, Sanford H
• Granted Patent: US 7,894,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/941 Human sciences

Abstract

A method and system of ascertaining diagnostic information concerning a pathological specimen over a network is disclosed. The method comprises transmitting a digitized image of a pathological specimen to central location, and then receiving diagnostic information from the central location concerning the pathological specimen after an analysis of the digitized image has been performed at the central location.

Claims

1. A method of ascertaining diagnostic information concerning a pathological specimen over a network, comprising:

transmitting a digitized image of a pathological specimen to a central location over a network;

receiving diagnostic information over the network from the central location concerning the pathological specimen after an analysis of an image of the pathological specimen has been performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis comprises comparing an image of the pathological specimen to a database of known pathological images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pathological specimen comprises a microscopical slide preparation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the microscopical slide preparation is selected from the group consisting of a cytological preparation and an immunohistochemical preparation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic information is selected from the group consisting of a diagnosis, a grade of cellular abnormality, a diagnostic classification based on a known classification scheme, and related epidemiological data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the related epidemiological data is selected from the group consisting of known disease risk factors, age information, race information, gender information, and probabilistic information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a treatment recommendation over the network based on the diagnostic information.