Documentation of surgical specimens using digital video technology.

Context: Digital technology is commonly used for documentation of specimens in anatomic pathology and has been mainly limited to still photographs. Technologic innovations, such as digital video, provide additional, in some cases better, options for documentation.

Objective: To demonstrate the applicability of digital video to the documentation of surgical specimens.

Virtual reality demonstration of surgical specimens, including links to histologic features.

The demonstration of surgical specimens, whether using 35-mm slides or digital images, tends to consist of the sequential presentation of images. Current digital technology permits a more flexible and effective way of communication, with the opportunity to more easily "navigate" between different aspects of specimens. We demonstrate a "virtual reality" method, based on QuickTime VR technology, that permits the interactive review of a complete profile of surgical specimens in the horizontal plane.