TELESYNERGY(R) Medical Consultation WorkStation

Computer Research And Technology

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute's Radiation Oncology Sciences Program (ROSP) sponsors a clinical outreach program, known as the Partnerships in Science(TM) Program, as well as a residency training program jointly with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC). The NCI is also a participant in the NCI All Ireland Cancer Consortium which combines the cancer treatment capabilities of Bethesda, Belfast, and Dublin in a five-year relationship aimed at a multilevel attack on cancer in Ireland. Finally, the NCI supports the re-vitalization of the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Amman Jordan. For these four reasons, the NCI and ROSP are interested in high-speed medical image communication, and telemedicine systems. The CIT and the NCI have, therefore, collaborated in the development and implementation of advanced telemedicine technologies, in general, and the TELESYNERGY(R) System, in particular. The TELESYNERGY(R) Medical Consultation WorkStation (MCWS) was developed by CBEL, and was initially deployed in the NCI ROB and the CIT environments on the NIH campus. The MCWS, which is currently based upon Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network architecture, allows real-time multimedia conferencing between distributed sites, and the systems includes high-resolution electronic view boxes for the display of CT, MRI or chest film images. Also included is a high-resolution video link for the presentation of a view of the consultant, the display of video-taped medical images or live presentations, or the display of histopathology images obtained from remote-controlled microscopes. As a component of this project, a prototype high-speed medical image communication network was implemented, based on ATM switch technology, which allows 155 Mbit/sec multi-media communication between users. The MCWS System also allows ATM-Gateway access to remote/distant sites via high-speed ISDN PRI telephone service.