Teleradiology: results of a field trial.

A microcomputer-based teleradiology system was tested over a six-month period by linking a medical center with four distant clinics. Data from more than 4,000 diagnostic x-ray examinations were digitized and transmitted from the clinics to the center, where they were displayed on video terminals and interpreted by 30 military and civilian radiologists. The original radiographs were interpreted independently and the video and film reports compared to determine the feasibility of the teleradiology system. Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the system indicated that the quality of the video images resulted in diagnostic findings and impressions that were somewhat less accurate than those reported from comparable film images.