Nordic Course in Virtual Dermatopathology in Reykavik
Voices from the audience
Kristofer Thorslund Stockholm Sweden
James Fitzgibbon Cork, Ireland
At the end of April I attended the first“ Nordic Course in Virtual Dermatopathology” in Reykjavik organized by Drs Ellen Mooney and Ismini Vassilaki. This was a two-day course held at the National Museum of Iceland in an excellent lecture hall. On the first day we were presented with the virtual platform and given short and informative lectures in different areas of dermatopathology( Melanocytic lesions, Interface dermatitis, Cutaneous lymphomas and mimickers, Spongiotic reaction patterns, Neutrophilic dermatoses, Bullous diseases, Follicular and sebaceous tumours, and Dermatological signs of systemic diseases) as well as interactive case presentations. The second day we were faced with a self-assessment exam of 20 cases. The software that was used was an interactive virtual platform where digital slides can be easily viewed along with clinical photos and clinical information. Best of all is that it was possible to save the case discussions and lectures as pdf-files. The quality of these files is so high that I can use them as reference literature in both dermatology and dermatopathology in the future.
The course instructors were Ellen Mooney, Iceland, Jacqueline Junkins-Hopkins, USA, Ismini Vassilaki, Sweden, and Lisbeth Sviland, Norway. This course is the start-up for the forthcoming increasing demand for self-assessment exams. The virtual platform is a very useful tool for these exams.
This course was something special and I hope the course will come back in the future.
Let me just start by saying that the venue in Reykjavik was splendid. The cases and speakers were excellent as was the case material. The case presentations were sublime. The images were clear and easily interpretable.
We are on the cusp of one of the major breakthroughs of our era, i. e. Virtual Dermatopathology. With FDA approval of the Philip’ s digital slide processor and cognizant of the fact that Europe is ahead in adapting Virtual Dermatopathology, it is indeed fitting from a geographic location, that the NDA and the Nordic Institute of Virtual Dermatopathology in Iceland should continue to hold this meeting, and be a center for retraining Dermatopathologists from both sides of the Atlantic on the use of this technology.
The Virtual technology will have a positive impact on standardizing the H & E stain in histology laboratories throughout the world and provide day to day feedback on the quality of staining, thickness, and unacceptable artifacts which could impede interpretation.
The advantages for archiving, conference presentation and ease of referral are well established. The technology is already in use for day to day signout of cases and will eventually replace the microscope, as we know it, throughout the developed world.
It is therefore vital to have centres such as the Nordic Institute of Virtual Dermatopathology in Iceland, to take a lead in training Dermato pathologists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Courtesy of Meet in Reykjavik.
52 Course Review
Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2017, Vol. 22, No. 2