Digital photography in anatomical pathology.

Digital imaging has made major inroads into the routine practice of anatomical pathology and replaces photographic prints and Kodachromes for reporting and conference purposes. More advanced systems coupled to computers allow greater versatility and speed of turnaround as well as lower costs of incorporating macroscopic and microscopic pictures into pathology reports and publications. Digital images allow transmission to remote sites via the Internet for consultation, quality assurance and educational purposes, and can be stored on and disseminated by CD-ROM. Total slide digitisation is now a reality and will replace glass slides to a large extent. Three-dimensional images of gross specimens can be assembled and posted on websites for interactive educational programmes. There are also applications in research, allowing more objective and automated quantitation of a variety of morphological and immunohistological parameters. Early reports indicate that medical vision systems are a reality and can provide for automated computer-generated histopathological diagnosis and quality assurance.

Acquired toxoplasmosis in Malaysia.

Two cases of acquired toxoplasmosis in asymptomatic Malaysian patients are described. In both instances the diagnosis was first made on the finding of the Piringer-Kuchinka reaction in excised lymph nodes from these patients and serological studies further confirmed the presence of hihg toxoplasmic antibody titres. The characteristic histological features of toxoplasmic lymphadenitis are discussed. Diagnosis and management of the disease are briefly reviewed with emphasis that the importance of diagnosing this disease goes beyond the establishment of a mostly self-limiting, clinically unimportant protozoan infection.