[Effects of upstream laboratory processes on the digitization of histological slides].

Background: Several factors in glass slide (GS) preparation affect the quality and data volume of a digitized histological slide. In particular, reducing contamination and selecting the appropriate coverslip have the potential to significantly reduce scan time and data volume.

Goals: To objectify observations from our institute's digitization process to determine the impact of laboratory processes on the quality of digital histology slides.

Materials and methods: Experiment 1: Scanning the GS before and after installation of a central console in the microtomy area to reduce dirt and statistical analysis of the determined parameters. Experiment 2: Re-coverslipping the GS (post diagnostics) with glass and film. Scanning the GS and statistical analysis of the collected parameters.

Conclusion: The targeted restructuring in the laboratory process leads to a reduction of GS contamination. This causes a significant reduction in the amount of data generated and scanning time required for the digitized sections. Film as a coverslip material minimizes processing errors in contrast to glass. According to our estimation, all the above-mentioned points lead to considerable cost savings.