@misc{10481/98624,
year = {2024},
month = {12},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/98624},
abstract = {Introduction: Telerobotic ultrasound has emerged as a promising technology in medicine, especially in settings with limited
medical access or a lack of specialized personnel. However, there are very few studies evaluating its usefulness in real-world
clinical practice.
Objective: This study evaluates the usefulness of abdominopelvic telerobotic ultrasound in a real-world practice setting.
Methods: A prospective study was performed in a cohort of adult patients who underwent abdominal ultrasound in a remote
secondary hospital for suspected abdominal or pelvic pathology. Examinations were performed by an on-site technician and a
remote abdominal radiologist. Satisfaction of patients and explorers, scan times, quality of visualization of anatomical
structures, and ultrasound findings were measured and compared with standard ultrasound examinations performed by an onsite
radiologist blinded to telerobotic ultrasound findings. Multivariate analyses were performed to predict variables related to
the visualization quality of abdominopelvic organs.
Results: The sample included 40 patients (60% women; mean age, 51 2 ± 16 1 years; 35% overweight and 17.5% obese). Significant
differences in ultrasound duration were observed between telerobotic ultrasound and standard ultrasound (27 4 ± 8 3 and
12 7 ± 3 1 min, respectively; p < 0 001). The mean satisfaction of radiologists, technicians, and patients with telerobotic
ultrasound was high (7 35 ± 1 14 for radiologists, 7 93 ± 0 83 for technicians, and 8 43 ± 1 38 for patients). Visualization of
anatomical structures was acceptable for most organs on telerobotic ultrasound but significantly worse than conventional
ultrasound when “excellent visualization” was the reference standard. In addition, telerobotic ultrasound did not identify
potentially relevant findings in a significant (70%) proportion of patients.
Conclusions: Telerobotic ultrasound offers acceptable results in the assessment of abdominopelvic organs and can help provide
adequate healthcare to patients in locations with limited access to radiology specialists. However, there are significant limitations
compared to standard ultrasound for their optimal evaluation.},
organization = {Universidad de Granada/CBUA},
publisher = {Wiley Online Library},
keywords = {abdomen},
keywords = {telemedicine},
keywords = {teleradiology},
title = {Telerobotic Versus Standard Ultrasound in the Assessment of the Abdomen and Pelvis: A Real-World Prospective Study},
doi = {10.1155/ijta/1482326},
author = {Luengo Gómez, David and Salmerón Ruíz, Ángela and Romero Manjón, María Isabel and Medina Benítez, Antonio and Láinez Ramos-Bossini, Antonio Jesús},
}