Creation of a retrospective searchable neuropathologic database from print archives at Toronto's University Health Network.

University Health Network (UHN) Pathology, in its capacity of providing neuro-oncologic care, now utilizes a laboratory information system (LIS), which was instituted in September 2001. For the 75 years preceding the LIS, more than 50 000 pathology reports exist in paper format. High-throughput automated scanning of the paper archives was employed to add the most recent 30 years of paper records (30 000 neuropathology specimens) to the LIS. The searchable portable document format (PDF) files generated from the scans were filtered through a multi-tiered process driven by Java computer programs that selected relevant patient and diagnostic information. A second series of programs queried the neuropathologist-assigned diagnoses and successfully converted these to the standardized World Health Organization (WHO) format. This was achieved with a master list of key site and diagnostic terms, and prioritization rules that were determined on a trial and error basis. Categorization, verification, and consolidation were completed within 3 months and on a C$10 000 budget.