New Ultrasound Telediagnostic System for <scp>Low‐Resource</scp> Areas
Thomas J. Marini, Daniel C. Oppenheimer, Timothy M. Baran, Deborah J. Rubens, Marika Toscano, Kathryn Drennan, Brian S. Garra, Frank R. Miele, Gail Garra, Sylvia Jacobo Noone, Lorena Tamayo, Claudia Carlotto, Leslie Trujillo, Erin Waks, Katie Garra, Miguel S. Egoavil, Joel Berrospi, Benjamín Castañeda
Abstract
Billions of people around the world lack access to diagnostic imaging. To address this issue, we piloted a comprehensive ultrasound telediagnostic system, which uses ultrasound volume sweep imaging (VSI) acquisitions capable of being performed by operators without prior traditional ultrasound training and new telemedicine software capable of sending imaging acquisitions asynchronously over low Internet bandwidth for remote interpretation. The telediagnostic system was tested with obstetric, right upper quadrant abdominal, and thyroid volume sweep imaging protocols in Peru. Scans obtained by operators without prior ultrasound experience were sent for remote interpretation by specialists using the telemedicine platform. Scans obtained allowed visualization of the target region in 96% of cases with diagnostic imaging quality. This telediagnostic system shows promise in improving health care disparities in the developing world.