Multimedia CD-ROM on Digestive Endoscopy and Gastroenterology:
Part 1: Esophagoscopy and Gastroscopy
The last decade has brought an enormous explosion in the field of digestive endoscopy. With this vast amount of material comes problems with nosology. The correct description and classification of endoscopic findings are not only indispensable in digestive endoscopy, but are an essential foundation of interpretation and diagnosis in all areas of gastroenterology and medicine in general.
The nomenclature of the World Society for Digestive Endoscopy (OMED) forms the basis of the Normedia CD-Gastro on CD-ROM, authored by and international team of endoscopists and gastroenterologists along with the principal author of the OMED nomenclature, Professor Maratka. There are three editions planned, the first is reviewed here. It is in English, IBM compatible, and encompasses esophagoscopy and gastroscopy.
Use of the large storage capacity of a CD-ROM disk makes it possible to provide multimedia information. It makes it feasible to combine text, graphics, photographs, audio and video sequences, relating in this case to endoscopic pathology and procedures. Multimedia provides a powerful method of communicating information that offers the ability to instantly search and retrieve desired data in an interactive manner that is not possible in standard textbooks.
The contents of this educational device provide the user with and enormous number of detailed colored photographs of normal anatomy as well as gastrointestinal pathology of various organ systems with accompanying explanatory text. The quality of the printed test is good, although the information it contains is rather basic and limited to descriptions of standard anatomic and pathologic findings, perhaps most useful for residents and fellows in training.
The authors have also provided short videos of selected advanced therapeutic endoscopic procedures. Although multiple different educational media are available, the videos are of marginal quality, limited by the technology of CD-ROM, which is currently not at the quality level of standard videotape. The video window is small (one tenth the overall size of the PC screen) and jerky. The only improvement over standard videotape is that PCs have random access memory (RAM) which gives the freedom to move the image to any point of the video recording with speed and versatility. CD-ROM multimedia also includes audio capability. Lack of accompanying sound during all the video presentations is a significant omission by the authors and should be included in subsequent editions.
The software is user-friendly with many pull down menus to access desired files. This includes menus for editing, search, and annotation functions. The latter function allows annotation of any text and storage in the database with personal opinions, facts, notes, and various types of additional information.
Another interesting feature provided by the authors is the course file. These files can be used to create lectures on the basis of the Normedia database. This feature contains "jump links" that allow the user to instantly move to the location in the database containing relevant material on a particular subject with display of all correlating photographs. Courses can be individualized and stored in separate files.
Future editions are to include duodenoscopy, therapeutic endoscopy, rectocolonoscopy, and ERCP and will be available in IBM or Macintosh compatible versions. Spanish, German, French and Italian translations are planned. If the contributions to the coming editions are as meticulous and detailed as in the currently available version, the authors will provide the PC user with a comprehensive review of normal endoscopic anatomy and pathology and a superb educational utility.
Marc F. Calalano, MD
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Comment of the publisher: The video quality has been essentially improved in the full version by using the new Quicktime technology. As the CD addresses the large medical community that is equipped with standard computers, sound has been omitted purposely, considering that the majority of hospital computers so far are rarely equipped with sound cards. When that situation has changed, sound is scheduled. The topic is available as a highly recognized series of 5 audio-visual video cassettes.
