title: Addressing requests for emergency ultrasonographic examinations when implementing teleradiology services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively assess how to address requests for ultrasonographic examinations when setting up an on-call teleradiology service.
  
  
  METHODS
  An analytical prospective study was performed from January 2012 to December 2012 inclusively. All requests received for after-hours ultrasonographic examinations during this period were analyzed. Ultrasound requests were classified as being postponable until working hours, replaceable by an alternate cross-sectional imaging modality, or urgent and needing to be performed after hours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 176 requests for ultrasonographic examinations were analyzed. They predominantly included requests for abdominal and pelvic ultrasonographic examinations (63%). Thirty-nine requests (22.2%) were considered as postponable, 49 (27.8%) as replaceable and 64 (36.4%) as both postponable and replaceable. Twenty-four requests (13.6%) were considered as urgent; they consisted of 10 requests for venous duplex Doppler ultrasonographic examinations of the lower limbs, eight requests for testicular ultrasonographic examinations, five for pelvic ultrasonographic examinations and one for soft-tissue ultrasonographic examination. In these urgent cases, realistic options were either to transfer the patient to another institution or to train emergency department physicians in ultrasonography for local handling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the need for addressing requests for ultrasonographic examinations should be taken into account when setting up an on-call teleradiology service, it should not impede such plans.
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France. Electronic address: camjunca@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Junca-Laplace-Valageas
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gervaise
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pernin
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naulet
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Robert-Piqué, 351, route de Toulouse, 33140 Villenave-d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Portron
authors.affiliation: Service d'imagerie médicale, hôpital d'Instruction-des-Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lapierre-Combes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019112:Teleradiology / Q000458:organization & administration; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emergency; Imaging; Teleradiology; Ultrasonography