User interface of a teleradiology system for the MR assessment of multiple sclerosis.
The aim of this study was to assess the image display of a web-based teleradiology system that uses a common web browser and has no need of proprietary applets, plug-ins, or dedicated software for DICOM display. The teleradiology system (TS) is connected to the Internet by ADSL and to radiological modalities using the DICOM standard with TCP/IP. Images were displayed on a PC through Internet connection with the remote TS using a common web browser. MS lesion number and volume in T1- and T2-weighted images (T1w and T2w, respectively) of 30 brain MR studies were quantified using both the TS and a conventional software. Wilcoxon signed ranks test and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to assess the variability and concordance between intra- and inter-observer and TS and conventional DICOM viewer, setting significance at p < 0.05. No significant differences in T1w and T2w volumes between the TS and the conventional software were found by either operator. The ICC results showed a high level of inter-operator agreement in volume estimation in T1w and T2w images using the two systems. Quantitative assessment of MS lesion volumes in T1w and T2w images with a user interface of a teleradiology system that allows the consultation by means of a common web browser, without the need for proprietary plug-ins, applets, or dedicated software for DICOM display showed no significant differences from, and almost complete agreement with, conventional DICOM viewers.
Luccichenti
G
G
Department of Radiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via Ardeatina, 306-00179 Rome, Italy. g.luccichenti@yahoo.it
Cademartiri
F
F
Pichiecchio
A
A
Bontempi
E
E
Sabatini
U
U
Bastianello
S
S
D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012984:Software; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019112:Teleradiology; D014584:User-Computer Interface