Telephone line transfer using a local filing system in Hokkaido.
An image-data transfer system using a public telephone line has been constructed between Hokkaido University Hospital (HUH) and Nakashibetsu Town Hospital (NTH). The latter is situated about 420 km from Sapporo and does not have full-time radiologists. A local filing system coupled with a film reader and an optical disk had been installed in HUH in 1986, and in NTH in 1988. Both systems were connected by a public telephone line along which the transfer speed is 9600 bps. Images originating at NTH, mostly CT, were digitized by the film reader and sent to HUH after compression at a ratio of about 5:1 to 10:1. Clinical information concerning a patient was also sent to HUH using facsimile. Radiologists interpreted the transferred data (12 CT images on a film) on the CRT and sent back a written report to NTH using facsimile. The system and its image quality are largely acceptable, especially in an emergency case for brain and abdomen, although the transfer of a film takes about 7 to 20 min.
Terae
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Department of Radiology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine and University Hospital, Japan.
Miyasaka
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Irie
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D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003199:Computer Systems; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000295:instrumentation; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012984:Software; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013689:Telephone; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation