["Digital Pathology in Diagnostics" guideline : Reporting on digital images]. / Leitfaden "Digitale Pathologie in der Diagnostik" : Befunderstellung an digitalen Bildern.

BACKGROUND: The digitization of medicine is gaining momentum in pathology. Long-known technologies have reached such a degree of maturity that their use in primary diagnostics in routine pathology will be possible. In spite of the complexity of technological solutions and the far-reaching consequences in terms of diagnostic reliability, as well as due to the high investments, the decision for a specific product may become highly sophisticated for a pathologist. AIM: An implementation guide for Digital Diagnostics in Pathology is presented to describe technical and legal conditions for making this new technology feasible for the single pathologist. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: For more than two years, the Digital Pathology Commission of the Federal Association of German Pathologists developed and discussed this implementation guide for digital diagnostics, especially for the use of virtual microscopy in the daily pathology routine in Germany. The key is the principal comparability of diagnostic reliability between conventional stained microscopic slides and their digital images, which have to be shown by the potential user. In eight chapters, the validation procedure as well as technical minimum requirements in slide scanners, the visualization pipeline, archiving, and integration in the pathology workflow are described.

[Pathowiki. A free expert database for pathology]. / Pathowiki. Eine freie Wissensdatenbank für die Pathologie.

The project Pathowiki (www.pathowiki.org) is a free expert database for texts, images, virtual slides and links to all subject areas of pathology in the internet. The aim of this project is to integrate all available information and media, in particular virtual microscopy, to achieve a fast overview of a relevant subject area. Here we present the project's basic functions and applications and evaluate the project with respect to the ongoing digital developments in pathology.

[Virtual microscopy and digital pathology]. / Virtuelle Mikroskopie und digitale Pathologie.

Virtual microscopy has advanced considerably and is bound to be integrated into routine diagnostics in the very near future. Its integration into existing information systems builds up digital pathology. In this review, we present details, advantages and limitations of this novel technology and describe solutions regarding its adaptation to routine workflow. The chief aim is to define an uniform data format for virtual specimens to guarantee an interoperability between different systems. In the long term, digital archives and networks will be established that will allow for a worldwide access to virtual specimens.

[Changes in bone density of the femur after cement-free implantation of a modular hip prosthesis with a long shaft]. / Veränderung der Knochenmasse des Femurs nach zementfreier Implantation einer modularen Hüftprothese (MHP) mit langem Schaft.

Until now, no reports exist on the existence of femoral bone loss after hip arthroplasty using long-stem cementless prostheses in elderly patients. In a prospective evaluation the amount of bone loss (stress-shielding) after implantation of a long stem hip prosthesis in patients with femoral neck fractures (group A) or pertrochanteric femoral fractures (group B) was examined. Eleven patients (five from group A and six from group B) were treated with a long-stem modular hip prosthesis (MHP). Change of bone mass was evaluated using quantitative computed tomographie (QCT) immediately following and at six months (group A and B) and twelve months (group A) after implantation of the prosthesis. Clinical results, expressed with the modified Harris Hip Score, and relative changes of bone mass were compared with mean periprosthetic bone mass of the femur after operation. After implantation of the MHP, the maximum decrease of mean femoral bone mass was 19.1% at six months and 20.2% at twelve months for group A and 29.5% at six months for group B. Bone loss in the proximal periprosthetic area was higher than in the distal part. There was no correlation between baseline values of bone mass and the amount of stress-shielding or clinical outcome.