[Ten years of telepathology for a\xa0mission hospital in Tanzania].

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nA\xa0collaboration between a\xa0hospital in Tanzania and a\xa0German institute for pathology was initiated in 2007 with the aim of establishing a\xa0working telepathological connection using the internet-based platform iPath to transmit static histological images.\n\n\nOBJECTIVES\nThis study aimed to describe the diagnostic spectrum evaluated in the course of an aid project in a\xa0developing country in Africa.\n\n\nMATERIAL AND METHODS\nA total of 5230 diagnoses were analyzed, including cases that could only be definitively concluded after a\xa0second analysis of the paraffin-embedded material in Germany. The most frequent diagnoses in the five\xa0largest diagnostic groups from 17\xa0different anatomical locations were surveyed. In addition, cases sampled from children/young adults and rare diagnoses were assessed separately.\n\n\nRESULTS\nAltogether we diagnosed 2934 (56.1%) benign and 2134 (40.8%) malignant diseases. The number of cases sent to Germany for a\xa0second opinion was 734 (14%). The five\xa0most common anatomical locations were the uterine cervix (n\u202f=\u20091211), the prostate (n\u202f=\u2009728), skin (n\u202f=\u2009626), breast (n\u202f=\u2009524), and lymph nodes (n\u202f=\u2009340). Children comprised 504 cases (9.6%). Typical tropical diseases were only rarely seen in the whole collective of cases.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nBy means of telepathology histopathological diagnoses can be supplied in a\xa0short period of time. Difficulties occurred mainly due to the unstable staff situation on site and because the quality of sampled biopsy material was not always sufficient for further investigations. Furthermore, it became clear in the course of this aid project that a\xa0predominance of standard diagnostic findings routinely seen in the pathology of tumors and infections can be anticipated rather than exotic diseases.