New Ultrasound Telediagnostic System for Low-Resource Areas: Pilot Results From Peru.
Thomas J MariniDaniel C OppenheimerTimothy M BaranDeborah J RubensMarika ToscanoKathryn DrennanBrian GarraFrank R MieleGail GarraSylvia Jacobo NooneLorena TamayoClaudia CarlottoLeslie TrujilloErin WaksKatie GarraMiguel S EgoavilJoel BerrospiBenjamin CastanedaPublished in: Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (2020)
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.