Osler pilots digital pathology using Sectra’s solution

BRAMPTON, ONT. – William Osler Health System (Osler) is heading into 2025 with the next step in its 10-year enterprise imaging strategy off to a great start: the successful launch of a digital pathology pilot.

The project builds on Osler’s relationship with imaging IT provider, Sectra, adding digital pathology functionality to the digitized diagnostic imaging workflow that’s already in place.

It is focused on tissue biopsies from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that are currently being reviewed and reported by two surgical pathologists.
“GI biopsies are about 20 to 30 percent of total specimens Osler receives, so there’s an opportunity to start small and then ramp up to the point where we’re doing up to a third of our workflow digitally,” said Osler’s GI pathology lead, Dr. Sameer Shivji, one of the pathologists using the new system.

Preparing for the launch was a multi-disciplinary collaboration from the start, and it included representatives from Osler’s IT, histology, pathology, surgical, oncology and administrative teams. Lab technologists took extra courses to learn how to prepare slides for scanning and a validation phase was held ahead of the December 2024 ‘go live’, during which time cases already reviewed using a microscope were reviewed digitally to test for concordance.

As Osler laboratory information system consultant Andra Magopat explained, the test environment already in place for diagnostic imaging was updated to include the digital pathology component from Sectra. After new scanning equipment was installed, it served as a digital sandbox, providing an opportunity to work out issues and adjust processes prior to going live with patient cases.

“Because we had everybody in the room from the beginning, we were able to work together and get past the challenges of implementing a pilot,” said Magopat, adding that vendor support was also important to ensure workflows catered to the centre’s needs.

Osler’s digital pathology pilot has laid a strong foundation and Dr. Shivji sees the potential for AI to assist with manual or repetitive tasks or to serve as a decision support tool.

Depending on the type of case, Dr. Shivji is finding it easier and quicker to go through slides digitally, make accurate and reproducible measurements, and to maintain good resolution when viewing images at different magnifications. Moreover, he’s excited about future functionality to come.

“Digital pathology is part of Osler’s larger push towards innovation and precision medicine,” he said, adding that tools like digital pathology, next generation sequencing and liquid biopsies are all working together to advance patient care and improve outcomes.

“Within the Sectra system, I can also call upon digital imaging, so if I get a biopsy I can look at the X-ray, for example, and check if what I’m seeing under the microscope – or on the monitor these days – actually matches,” he said. “That increased collaboration is one major thing that will help to improve patient care.”

Nader Soltani, president at Sectra Canada, is equally excited about the impact of this technology. “We are thrilled to see Sectra’s digital pathology solution having a positive impact in real-world clinical settings,” he said. “By seamlessly combining imaging, pathology, and other diagnostic tools, we aim to empower healthcare professionals with the insights needed to make more informed decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.”