Recently became aware of a very nice pathology app for iPhone and iPad. As with other Apple apps reviewed here previously, particularly the Hopkins Pancreas App, this app is top notch for GU pathology with over 1100 images from normal to malignant. The app creator is a GU-fellowship trained practicing pathologist and has created a very easy to use app with excellent images for reference with detailed descriptions to supplement textbook information as a handheld reference.
Increasingly atlases, textbooks and large reference volumes I think are going to be a thing of the past with software such as this being produced. Our large bookshelves holding dozens or 100s of books in a variety of anatomic and clinical pathology sub-specialties will be largely replaced by handheld computing technologies
that are easier to store, review, search, mark, highlight and cross-reference and provide the latest information at your fingertips continuously.
Pathologists tend to be conservative by nature and fiscally conservative and may have a choking response to the $24.99 price tag for the full version. Believing that free apps are the best apps, I too thought twice before hitting “Purchase” on this having not spent more than $4.99 I think previously for any productivity or game app. Having admitted this, I think those who practice GU pathology will be happy to part with the 25 bucks for their iPhone or iPad app. There is also a free “lite” version if you want to get a taste before taking the plunge and parting with more.
Description and About the Author (App creator) from iTunes:
GU Path I is intended to be an interactive learning aid for physicians interested in the pathology of urinary bladder and prostate. It consists of more than 1100 images covering the entire spectrum from normal histology to malignant lesions.
Since the images are contained within the app, the initial download could take several minutes depending upon the speed of your broadband connection. However, once the app is downloaded the images can be accessed rapidly without connecting to the internet.
CONTENT: The app is divided into two sections 1) Urinary Bladder and 2) Prostate. Each section consists of several “chapters.” Multiple examples of each entity are shown in order to illustrate the range of histologic findings. The images are accompanied by a brief paragraph describing the salient clinical and histologic features. The intent of this visually-oriented app is to supplement the excellent textbooks of genitourinary pathology available to those interested in this subspecialty field.
FEATURES: Diagnoses can be searched by keywords. Favorite images can be bookmarked.
NAVIGATION: The navigation is meant to be intuitive. The chapters can be scrolled up and down. Within each chapter, the thumbnails can be swiped right or left. Images can be opened by tapping the thumbnail. Once an image has been opened, the previous or subsequent images can be accessed by swiping. The text box disappears in 45 seconds. It can be made to appear/disappear by tapping anywhere on the screen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Dharam M. Ramnani is a urologic pathologist with Virginia Urology – a multispecialty practice dedicated to the treatment of urologic disorders. He obtained his MD degree from India and subsequently completed residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and a Fellowship in Surgical Pathology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. After completing a Urologic Pathology Fellowship from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Ramnani joined Virginia Urology in 1999.
