Table 4.

Comparison between optical and virtual microscope evaluation methods

Microscopy feature	Optical evaluation	Electronic evaluation
Speed	4–5 minutes	2–3 minutes
Costs	Every user, high quality microscope	One high quality scanning microscope, image server, PC
Working conditions	Only limited number of slides can be evaluated because of fatigue	Normal monitor work
Consultation	With slide transportation or with image transfer, through ISDN, telephone line	Internet Remote access to the image server through local area network or internet
Quality control	With special additional hardware	By recording of evaluated image segments