How to transfer a BMB slide from Scotland to US Doc

[ainslie]

I am getting a routine BMB from the National Health Service in Scotland in the next couple weeks, I am having a consult with a expert at Mount Sinai in New York in Oct and he said he would like to see the slide. I am wondering if anyone knows how I can go about that, does the slide come via e-mail or CD or how are they transferred? In what format are they usually viewed in the US? . I know some on here have had a BMB done on hospital in England and viewed by another expert at Guys for example , presumably they can view it on the NHS system but I am not sure what to ask the NHS in Scotland for so the US Doc can view it at Mount Sinai?. The last two BMB's I had I just got printouts. I could ask the expert at Mount Sinai but thought it useful to know a little about what I am talking about before asking him. Anyone have any knowledge experience?

[hunter5582]

I have had tissue samples sent from Maryland to California. They we shipped via commercial carrier. What can be sent will likely depend of what samples were retained. Suggest contacting the lab in Scotland to see what they can do.

[ainslie in reply to hunter5582]

thanks Hunter but its the slide as opposed to tissue, presumably the slide is like some kind of photo or image

[hunter5582 in reply to ainslie]

As I understand it, a slide refers to a tissue sample prepared and mounted on a slide. The sample is normally stained and covered by a very thin piece of glass. It is possible to take a picture of the resulting sample.

perhaps the question could go the the doc who wants to see the slide to be clear what is requested.

[ainslie in reply to hunter5582]

Yes thank I will ask him , I was just trying to know roughly what I was talking about first

[hunter5582 in reply to ainslie]

Very sensible approach. Better informed = better prepared.

[NCB1983]

Hunter is right, the BMB tissue is “cut up” and prepared on a slide for viewing.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely the slide is in a digital format, but you might be lucky.

As hunter said, contact the lab in Scotland. If it is a physical slide it can be couriered (unsure of the costs) if you’re lucky and it’s digital then they should be able to give you either access online to a portal where you can see the image and grant your US dr access (ideal option) or have it provided as a cd. I’m not sure a print out will be of optimal quality for diagnostic purposes

Do you know if your US dr has the means to view it digitally? (Not many computers have cd drives any more for example!) I’m pretty sure Mount Sinai has a means of viewing radiology images digitally, I’m unsure about pathology images and this is slightly newer technology

The portal option usually has basic image viewing and manipulation capabilities and allows for the download of the image to view in a hospitals IMS or PACs (image viewing systems)

I’m in med tech, hence the nerdy reply!

good luck

[ainslie in reply to NCB1983]

Thanks for info , it’s very helpful, I can and will ask the US doc now that I am slightly more educated on the subject. Unfortunately in UK we have the government health service and us mere patients cant speak to the lab, I will ask my local Haem though.

Nerdyness has its uses, thank you 😀

[Cja1956]

Mount Sinai should give you a Release of Records Authorization form to sign and then they can request the slides themselves.

[ainslie in reply to Cja1956]

possibly, thank you for the idea, the hospital doing BMB is in Scotland and its a Government hospital so they dont tend to respond to anything from a private hospital and likely not a US one but I will factor your idea in to my thinking 👍

[artydutch]

Many years ago my husbands histology slides were sent to the USA for a second opinion. We contacted the pathologist at the nhs hospital and he was happy to send the slides himself. This may be a way to start…

[ainslie in reply to artydutch]

Thank you for your information, it’s sounds as if you had a helpful pathologist, I hope I do too