Microscopy in Pathology

Analysis of specimens for pathology sometimes requires long hours working with a microscope. The result for the user may be physical discomfort and strain that can lead to reduced efficiency and the risk of less consistent analysis. Pathologists can benefit from a solution that allows them to maintain a comfortable position having reduced strain while working with a microscope. Such a solution can help achieve improved efficiency for pathological diagnoses.

Microscopy in Pathology

Efficient, fast processing of specimens

Challenges related to microscopy work in pathology

Work in comfort

Advantages of the Pathology Solution Suite

Find the solution for your needs

Three complete workflow solutions

Clinical Pathology

Anatomic Pathology

Enersight

What if you could inspect, compare, measure and share with one intuitive interface? Introducing Enersight, a powerful software platform for microscopy.

DM4 B & DM6 B

Enhance your life-science and clinical research with the DM4 B and DM6 B upright microscopes. With flexible software solutions, they allow you to focus on experiments while reducing manual work.

Visoria B

Experience enhanced efficiency and comfort in your daily microscopy routine. The Visoria B laboratory microscope is for applications performed in life science and clinical laboratories.

Flexacam c5 & i5

With Flexacam microscope cameras, you can see the fine sample details you need to see with precise colors and high resolution. Viewing, documenting, and sharing microscope images of your samples the...

Leica DM3000 & DM3000 LED

Uniquely Ergonomic System Microscopes With Intelligent Automation

Read our latest articles about Forensic Science and Imaging Equipment

The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems offers scientific research and teaching material on the subjects of microscopy. The content is designed to support beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments.

Factors to Consider when Selecting Clinical Microscopes

What matters if you would like to purchase a clinical microscope? Learn how to arrive at the best buying decision from our Science Lab Article.

Clinical Microscopy: Considerations on Camera Selection

The need for images in pathology laboratories has significantly increased over the past few years, be it in histopathology, cytology, hematology, clinical microbiology, or other applications. They serve many purposes on top of the documentation of the diagnosis. Yet, the view through the eyepieces and the image are different in nature, the one is an optical image, the other a digital image. Looking at a few aspects of this process that are related cameras will help you make sure you can obtain the images with all the detail and color fidelity you need.

H&E Staining in Microscopy

If we consider the role of microscopy in pathologists’ daily routines, we often think of the diagnosis. While microscopes indeed play a crucial role at this stage of the pathology lab workflow, they are used even earlier: Lab technicians or pathologists use microscopes to check on staining. This article looks at H&E staining and the role of microscopy in the lab workflow more closely.

How to Benefit from Digital Cytopathology

If you have thought of digital cytopathology as characterized by the digitization of glass slides, this webinar with Dr. Alessandro Caputo from the University Hospital of Salerno, Italy will broaden your horizons. You can deepen your understanding of what is possible if digital technology is employed along the entire laboratory workflow.

The Time to Diagnosis is Crucial in Clinical Pathology

Abnormalities in tissues and fluids - that’s what pathologists are looking for when they examine specimens under the microscope. What they see and deduce from their findings is highly influential, as pathologists’ diagnoses play a major role in treatment decisions. Dr. Penelope Zorzi has a background in immunology, pathology, and genomics and is Product Workflow Manager Health and Clinical Microscopy at Leica Microsystems. She knows about the responsibility pathologists bear and speaks about the work of doctors, scientists, and laboratory technicians in pathology

Perform Microscopy Analysis for Pathology Ergonomically and Efficiently

The main performance features of a microscope which are critical for rapid, ergonomic, and precise microscopic analysis of pathology specimens are described in this article. Microscopic analysis of patient specimens in pathology is a key step for providing diagnoses. As pathologist can spend long hours at the microscope analyzing specimens, achieving accurate and efficient diagnoses requires an optimal microscope setup.

Key Questions

1How is microscopy used in pathology?

Microscopy refers to any type of examination in the pathology lab workflow that is conducted with a microscope. Examples are checking the quality of specimen staining as well as the examination and documentation of specimens which finally results in a diagnosis.

2Why do pathologists use microscopes?

Microscopes enable pathologists to see abnormalities that they would not be able to see with their naked eye, whether it is fine structures, subtle differences in color, or the number of certain cells in a specimen. In addition to that, a variety of contrast methods can make even more details visible.

3What is the difference between clinical pathology and anatomic pathology?

Clinical and anatomic pathology are disciplines with a different focus. They also concern different specimens. Clinical pathology includes chemical and molecular pathology, immunopathology, hematopathology, as well as medical microbiology. Anatomic pathology focuses on histopathological examinations of tissue specimens or cells which are used in surgical pathology, cytopathology, forensic pathology, as well as for dermatopathological examinations of skin samples.

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Comparison table of DM1000 - DM3000 microscopes

	DM1000 LED	DM2000 & DM2000 LED	DM2500 & DM2500 LED	DM3000 & DM3000 LED
Occasional use	x	-	-	-
Medium to high workload	-	x	x	x
Microscope height and height & viewing angle adjustable with eyepieces	x	x	x	x
Control knobs in proximity with symmetrical layout	-	x	x	x
Adjustable stage height and focus controls	x	x	x	x
Adjustable torque for focus knobs	-	x	x	x
Multiple viewing system for simultaneous observation by several users	-	-	x	-
Quick objective change in switching mode	-	-	-	x
Automated lighting management	-	-	-	x
Compact and robust design	x	x	x	x
	Go to product page	Go to product page	Go to product page	Go to product page

x = included, - = not available

Challenges related to microscopy in pathology

Pathologists need to prepare specimen slides for examination and ensure the accuracy and reliability of diagnoses, typically with strict deadlines and time constraints. They must ensure an efficient, fast processing of specimens to meet the demands of doctors treating patients in hospitals and clinics.

At times pathologists spend hours examining many specimens with a microscope. This demanding work style can lead to discomfort and repetitive strain injury (RSI) due to an uncomfortable posture while performing recurrent motions, such as adjusting the stage and focus position as well as changing objectives. Additionally, looking through the eyepieces over long periods of time with large fluctuations in light intensity can cause eyestrain.

Pathologists are in need of a solution which enables them to do microscopic examination with increased comfort and efficiency.

Advantages of the Pathology Solution Suite

Work in comfort, reduce the risk of strain,
and achieve an improved efficiency during microscopic examination.

Maintain a comfortable posture with the shoulders and spine properly aligned and attain an optimal hand positioning due to the symmetrical layout of the adjustable ergonomic stage and focus controls. The knobs are positioned on the microscope at an equal distance from the user.

Reduce the risk of eyestrain thanks to a balanced light intensity. The brightness does not need to be continuously adjusted in order to prevent large fluctuations in light intensity.

Picture is a simulation of light balancing with an image showing a trachea sample. Result after objective change from high (left) to low (right) magnification: Top right without light balancing, bottom right with light balancing.

More efficient workflow thanks to minimal repetitive motions and fast objective change with the toggle mode. The knobs for the focus and stage control are in close proximity.

Customer experiences with a DM3000 microscope for clinical applications

Trudi de Jong and Marianne Noordanus, both from Rotterdam, describe how a DM3000 microscope helps them to perform their clinical microscope work more comfortably and efficiently.

Courtesy of:

Trudi de Jong, Erasmus MC academic hospital Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Hematology

Marianne Noordanus, Star-MDC, Medisch Diagnostisch Centrum, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Microbiology

Clinical Pathology

Learn how ergonomic microscopes from Leica Microsystems support accurate and timely diagnosis in clinical pathology.

Anatomic Pathology

Learn how ergonomic microscopes from Leica Microsystems support efficient and accurate diagnosis in anatomic pathology.

Clinical Pathology

Learn how ergonomic microscopes from Leica Microsystems support accurate and timely diagnosis in clinical pathology.

Anatomic Pathology

Learn how ergonomic microscopes from Leica Microsystems support efficient and accurate diagnosis in anatomic pathology.

Frequently Asked Questions Pathology

What are cameras used for in pathology?

Cameras are used for documentation, displaying of images on a larger screen, and showing live images for discussion among colleagues on tumor boards. They can also help pathologists with reporting of results, especially if the camera comes with software that allows annotating images and archiving them in the laboratory or hospital information system.

Why does the specimen determine which contrast method is needed?

What pathologists need to see is important for the microscopic examination. If they need to see structures and shades of color in stained specimens, they will look at specimens in brightfield. If they need to identify the structures of cells and tissues in unstained specimens, they will use phase contrast. For more information, please refer to the Science Lab article Factors to Consider when Selecting Clinical Microscopes.

Which camera is ideally suited for clinical applications?

There are color cameras and monochrome cameras. Color cameras are ideally suited for pathology applications as they can visualize minute differences in staining and give pathologists a wealth of information about the specimen. Monochrome cameras are ideally suited for fluorescence applications such as FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization). For more information, you may find this Science Lab article interesting: Clinical Microscopy: Considerations on Camera Selection.

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Microscopy in Pathology