The feasibility of real-time transmission of sonographic images from a remote location over low-bandwidth Internet links: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to show that sonography can be performed in teleconference settings, "telesonography," in which a remotely located sonography interpreter can monitor the examination in real-time and guide the examiner with voice commands while the patient simultaneously undergoes imaging, albeit at low resolution, thus helping to overcome the lack of trained operators in certain areas. CONCLUSION: This system of image transfer offers the potential for sonography to be performed at a remote underdeveloped region and interpreted in real-time at a distant site by trained radiologists, thereby extending the presence of physicians in virtual space.