Cardiac ultrasonography over 4G wireless networks using a tele‐operated robot. Issue 3 (28th September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Avgousti, Sotiris; Panayides, Andreas S.; Jossif, Antonis P.; Christoforou, Eftychios G.; Vieyres, Pierre; Novales, Cyril; Voskarides, Sotos; Pattichis, Constantinos S.
• Is Part Of: Healthcare technology letters. Volume 3:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 212
• Page End: 217
• Publication Date: 2016-09-28
• Subjects: biomedical ultrasonics -- cardiology -- medical robotics -- telemedicine -- Long Term Evolution; 4G wireless networks -- teleoperated robot -- end‐to‐end mobile teleechography platform -- portable robot -- remote cardiac ultrasonography -- long‐term evolution -- LTE wireless networks -- responsive robot telemanipulation -- real‐time ultrasound video streaming -- video coding standards -- video quality -- teleechography sessions -- cardiac ultrasound video -- robotised teleechography platform -- remote diagnosis -- in‐hospital ultrasound examination; Biomedical engineering -- Periodicals; Medical technology -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1049/htl.2016.0043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2053-3713

Abstract

Abstract : This Letter proposes an end‐to‐end mobile tele‐echography platform using a portable robot for remote cardiac ultrasonography. Performance evaluation investigates the capacity of long‐term evolution (LTE) wireless networks to facilitate responsive robot tele‐manipulation and real‐time ultrasound video streaming that qualifies for clinical practice. Within this context, a thorough video coding standards comparison for cardiac ultrasound applications is performed, using a data set of ten ultrasound videos. Both objective and subjective (clinical) video quality assessment demonstrate that H.264/AVC and high efficiency video coding standards can achieve diagnostically‐lossless video quality at bitrates well within the LTE supported data rates. Most importantly, reduced latencies experienced throughout the live tele‐echography sessions allow the medical expert to remotely operate the robot in a responsive manner, using the wirelessly communicated cardiac ultrasound video to reach a diagnosis. Based on preliminary results documented in this Letter, the proposed robotised tele‐echography platform can provide for reliable, remote diagnosis, achieving comparable quality of experience levels with in‐hospital ultrasound examinations.