A 5G-based telerobotic ultrasound system provides qualified abdominal ultrasound services for patients on a rural island: a prospective and comparative study of 401 patients.
Abdom Radiol (NY)
; 49(3): 942-957, 2024 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38102443
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To explore the feasibility of a 5G-based telerobotic ultrasound (US) system for providing qualified abdominal US services on a rural island.METHODS:
This prospective study involved two medical centers (the tele-radiologist site's hospital and the patient site's hospital) separated by 72 km. Patients underwent 5G-based telerobotic US by tele-radiologists and conventional US by on-site radiologists from September 2020 to March 2021. The clinical feasibility and diagnostic performance of the 5G-based telerobotic abdominal US examination were assessed based on safety, duration, image quality, diagnostic findings, and questionnaires.RESULTS:
A total of 401 patients (217 women and 184 men; mean age, 54.96 ± 15.43 years) were enrolled. A total of 90.1% of patients indicated no discomfort with the telerobotic US examination. For the examination duration, telerobotic US took longer than conventional US (12.54 ± 3.20 min vs. 7.23 ± 2.10 min, p = 0.001). For image quality scores, the results of the two methods were similar (4.54 ± 0.63 vs. 4.57 ± 0.61, p = 0.112). No significant differences were found between the two methods in measurements for the aorta, portal vein, gallbladder, kidney (longitudinal diameter), prostate, and uterus; however, telerobotic US underestimated the transverse diameter of the kidney (p < 0.05). A total of 504 positive results, including 31 different diseases, were detected. Among them, 455 cases were identified by the two methods; 17 cases were identified by telerobotic US only; and 32 cases were identified by conventional US only. There was good consistency in the diagnosis of 29 types of disease between the two methods (κ = 0.773-1.000). Furthermore, more than 90% of patients accepted the telerobotic US examination and agreed to pay additional fees in future.CONCLUSION:
The 5G-based telerobotic US system can expand access to abdominal US services for patients in rural areas, thereby reducing health care disparities.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Robótica
Limite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Abdom Radiol (NY)
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China