Ultra-high-speed teleradiology with ISDN technology.

A solid-state, personal computer-based, image digitization and transmission system was developed that uses integrated services digital network (ISDN), a technology under development for ultra-high-speed data transmission over normal phone lines. Thousands of images have been transmitted to a site more than 15 miles away, with data rates exceeding 56,000 bits or 7,000 bytes (1 byte = 8 bits) per second with nearly perfect accuracy. Present modification of the system hardware and software should increase the data rate to 128,000 bits, or 16,000 bytes, per second. With this rate of transmission, remote radiologic image transmission should become a practical, routinely available diagnostic tool.