A multisite telemammography system for remote management of screening mammography: an assessment of technical, operational, and clinical issues.
OBJECTIVE
This paper describes a high-quality, multisite telemammography system to enable "almost real-time" remote patient management while the patient remains in the clinic. One goal is to reduce the number of women who would physically need to return to the clinic for additional imaging procedures (termed "recall") to supplement "routine" imaging of screening mammography.


METHODS
Mammography films from current and prior (when available) examinations are digitized at three remote sites and transmitted along with other pertinent information across low-level communication systems to the central site. Images are automatically cropped, wavelet compressed, and encrypted prior to transmission to the central site. At the central site, radiologists review and rate examinations on a high-resolution workstation that displays the images, computer-assisted detection results, and the technologist's communication. Intersite communication is provided instantly via a messaging "chat" window.


RESULTS
The technologists recommended additional procedures at 2.7 times the actual clinical recall rate for the same cases. Using the telemammography system during a series of "off-line" clinically simulated studies, radiologists recommended additional procedures at 1.3 times the actual clinical recall rate. Percent agreement and kappa between the study and actual clinical interpretations were 66.1% and 0.315, respectively. For every physical recall potentially avoided using the telemammography system, approximately one presumed "unnecessary" imaging procedure was recommended.


CONCLUSIONS
Remote patient management can reduce the number of women recalled by as much as 50% without performing an unreasonable number of presumed "unnecessary" procedures.
Leader
Joseph K
JK
Imaging Research Division, Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, 300 Halket Street, Suite 4200, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. leaderjk@upmc.edu
Hakim
Christiane M
CM
Ganott
Marie A
MA
Chough
Denise M
DM
Wallace
Luisa P
LP
Clearfield
Ronald J
RJ
Perrin
Ronald L
RL
Drescher
John M
JM
Maitz
Glenn S
GS
Sumkin
Jules H
JH
Gur
David
D
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003201:Computers; D003628:Database Management Systems; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008327:Mammography; D008403:Mass Screening; D015588:Observer Variation; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D012107:Research Design; D012984:Software; D019112:Teleradiology