Fig. 5.

Recommended urine cytology slide scanning workflow. In the first attempt, users should use the “default” mode to scan the urine cytology slides, utilizing at least 9 scanning layers (depending on the specific scanner and cytopreparation slides) with a 1 μm interval between each layer. If a slide image is successfully obtained on the first attempt, users must conduct an image quality assessment, determining the scan as either “clear” (indicating no artifacts or distortions in the image) and hence “successful,” or “blur” (highlighting any noticeable distortion or lack of clarity), designating the scan as a “failure” and requiring a second scan using the “manual” mode. If the initial scan does not meet the quality standards, a second attempt should be undertaken using the “manual” mode, maintaining a 1 μm interval between multilayer scans. Following this attempt, users should once again assess the image quality to ascertain whether the scan can be deemed “successful” with a clear image or “failure” with a blurry output, denoting the slide as unsuitable for further scanning. This 2-step approach is designed to enhance the quality of slide images making them fit for clinical interpretation.