Teleconsulting and telediagnosis on cardiological and angiographics digital sequence: exchange: the experience of CNR-Institute of Clinical Physiology

The use of digital communication technologies for biomedical imaging technique is challenged by the information overflow. This is particular true for cardioangiographic images that required 25 frames"'sec and matrices of 512"'512 pixels. We have developed in our catheterization laboratory a system, based on multimedial commercial platform, for simultaneous digitising of physiological signals, audio tracks and image sequences. The working progress was subdivided in: -immediate retrieving and consulting of multimedia documents; -multimedia relational archiving;-communication tool for host consultants. The communication tool provides the following services: a) synthetic transmission (clinical data, hemodynamic and angiographic findings including 10 descriptive images) for local Hospital information system and LAN services; b) teleconsulting and desktop sharing services for exchanging information and significative images together with a remote expert; c) transmission of an entire angiographic examination, about 150 MS taking up to 20 min with high speed networks. For synthetic data transmission up to internet backbones through standard communication protocols are used; broadband networks for hi-speed telematics services as LAN and Metropolitan Area Network are needed.Cardiologists, radiologists, informatics, engineerings and national companies actually contribute to develop an instrument friendly useful and for a continuous updating according to technical and scientific progress.