Report from ARRS: Telemammography over Internet proves feasible, cost-effective

By: H. A. Abella

Nearly 30,000 cases and three years of experience have confirmed that the transmission and interpretation of digital mammography exams to and from a remote location through commercially available high-speed cable Internet is feasible, safe, reliable, and cost-effective, according to a Columbia University study.

"There haven't been any glitches since we began, but we have made long-distance transmission better and faster," said principal investigator Dr. Alan R. Melton, an assistant professor of radiology at Columbia. "We are refining the system, establishing online dictation, increasing transmission speeds, increasing the efficiency of the routing, and diminishing downtime."

source: Diagnostic Imaging