Cytopathology
Free download
No. 2 of 20
Getting Started with AI in Cytopathology
A practical primer for the practising pathologist — what the technology actually does in cytopathology, what to ask of it, and how to start safely.
Cytopathology has a claim no other discipline can make: it hosted the first FDA-authorised AI medical device of any kind. PAPNET, a neural-network-based cervical smear rescreening system, was authorised in 1995 — a decade before “deep learning” entered the vocabulary. Automated cervical screening has been a regulated reality for thirty years.
What the primer covers
- SectionWhy cytopathology has the strongest case of any subspecialty
- SectionThe evidence base is unusually strong
- SectionBeyond the Pap: where else it works
- SectionYour first 90 days
- SectionValidation specifics for cytology
- SectionFailure modes specific to cytopathology
- SectionWhat to watch next
- SectionKey references
Who it is for
- Pathologists in cytopathology meeting diagnostic AI for the first time
- Laboratory leads assessing vendor claims and planning validation
- Trainees who want the regulatory and methodological context, not marketing
Educational guidance, not clinical protocol or regulatory advice. Algorithm authorisations and validation requirements change — confirm the current position with your regulator and your own quality system.