Rapid Remote Online Evaluation in Endoscopic Diagnostics: An Analysis of Biopsy-Proven Respiratory Cytopathology
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This is an interesting study that shows the feasibility of using a remote setup for analysis of cytopathology specimens. If available, it may be helpful to provide details on what remote transmission settings were used in the study (resolution, frames per second).
I found some typographical errors:
Figure 2c: "Assistant staff" was spelled as "Assistent staff"
Table 2a - Malignant was spelled as "Malign"
Author Response
Dear Sir/Madame, To whom it may concern,
- This is an interesting study that shows the feasibility of using a remote setup for analysis of cytopathology specimens. If available, it may be helpful to provide details on what remote transmission settings were used in the study (resolution, frames per second).
Answer: Transmission resolutions can vary from high-definition (1920x1200) to 4K (3840x3840) to adapt to different bandwidth requirements. Adjustable frame rate between 15 and 60 FPS ensures performance on connections between 15 and 80 Mbps.
- Quality of English Language
Figure 2c: "Assistant staff" was spelled as "Assistent staff"
Answer: The text in Fig. 2c has been changed from "Assistant staff" to "Assistant staff".
- Table 2a - Malignant was spelled as "Malign"
Answer: The text in Fig. 2a has been changed from "Malign" to "Malignant".
Other changes
- 1, Line 20: grammar corrected
- 1, Line 25-28: figures checked again
- 4, Figure 2a,b: Image ncreased (due to copyright)
- 4, Line 69: structure improved.
- 4, Line 81: grammar corrected
- 3, Line 105, Table 1b: grammar corrected.
- 4, Figure 2a,b: resolution quality increased
- 4, Figure 3: has been changed from "Assistant staff" to "Assistant staff".
- 5, Line 148,157: content expanded
- 6, Line 163: content expanded
- 7, Line 184: figures checked again
- 7, Line 197, Table 2a: grammar corrected, content expanded
- 7, Line 197, Table 2b: figures checked again
- 7, Line 197, Table 2a: grammar corrected, content expanded
- 8, Line 212, Table 3a,b: grammar corrected, content expanded, figures checked again
- 10, Line 296: content expanded
- 10, Line 311, Table 5: simplified
"Please see the attachment."
Thank you for this correct.
Kind regard
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Reviewer 2 Report
General remarks
In the present paper, the authors evaluated the usefulness of the Rapid Remote Online Evaluation in endoscopic diagnosis. The paper is overall useful for the cytologist.
Specific remarks
In the table 2a, it is seen that out of 86 benign diagnoses reported by endoscopy, a large number (20) cases were malignant. The finding is quite unexpected. The authors should explain this discrepancy. The finding must affect the sensitivity and specificity.
The authors got high diagnostic accuracy because they removed a large number of inadequate diagnosis (38). They should discuss details of these cases.
Author Response
Dear Sir/Madame, To whom it may concern,
In the present paper, the authors evaluated the usefulness of the Rapid Remote Online Evaluation in endoscopic diagnosis. The paper is overall useful for the cytologist.
Specific remarks
In the table 2a, it is seen that out of 86 benign diagnoses reported by endoscopy, a large number (20) cases were malignant. The finding is quite unexpected. The authors should explain this discrepancy. The finding must affect the sensitivity and specificity.
Answer:
Specificity is the percentage of correctly negative tests in all healthy subjects, i.e. RN/(FP+RN).
The number of false negative findings in a group of patients suffering on malignant tumours did not affected the specificity per definition. However, it is of course relevant for the sensitivity. The sensitivity is reduced in this situation to overall 78.6% Tab. 2b.
Other Question:
The authors got high diagnostic accuracy because they removed a large number of inadequate diagnosis (38). They should discuss details of these cases. They should discuss details of these cases.
- 6, Line 163:
figures checked again
Of the 37 undefined samples, 11 were still unclear at the end according to cytological crite-ria and four of these according to histological criteria. One major reason for the large num-ber of unclear samples is the lack of representative cell and tissue fragments. The results of the rapid cytological assessment prompted the endoscopists in this situation to intensify biopsy diagnostics and to perform repeated biopsies per sampling site. Accordingly, the number of inconclusive biopsies is reduced to six in the end (Table 2a).
Other changes
- 1, Line 20: grammar corrected
- 1, Line 25-28: figures checked again
- 4, Figure 2a,b: Image ncreased (due to copyright)
- 4, Line 69: structure improved.
- 4, Line 81: grammar corrected
- 3, Line 105, Table 1b: grammar corrected.
- 4, Figure 2a,b: resolution quality increased
- 4, Figure 3: has been changed from "Assistant staff" to "Assistant staff".
- 5, Line 148,157: content expanded
- 6, Line 163: content expanded
- 7, Line 184: figures checked again
- 7, Line 197, Table 2a: grammar corrected, content expanded
- 7, Line 197, Table 2b: figures checked again
- 7, Line 197, Table 2a: grammar corrected, content expanded
- 8, Line 212, Table 3a,b: grammar corrected, content expanded, figures checked again
- 10, Line 296: content expanded
- 10, Line 311, Table 5: simplified
"Please see the attachment."
Sincerely yours,
