Make my MRI Remote!

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Remote-Control MRI Exam Performed Over The Internet

 

by Lockergnome on October 24, 2006

 

Radiologists have developed a remote-control mechanism

that allows an experienced off-site operator to

control a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine by

logging onto the Internet from a personal computer.

The quality of the images from remote-control

scanning was found to be superior to images obtained

by a less-experienced technologist onsite. The

technique is outlined in the November issue of

Radiology.

 

“Some patients require specialized scans that not all

of our technologists are familiar with, so we

implemented a software program that enables us to run

the MRI machine from a remote location,” said J. Paul

Finn, M.D., lead author and chief of diagnostic

cardiovascular imaging at the David Geffen School of

Medicine at the University of California at Los

Angeles (UCLA).

“A technologist who is skilled at performing that

particular scan can log on from a personal computer

and perform the exam via remote control.”

 

After accessing the password-protected program online,

a remote operator can control all of the necessary

imaging parameters to conduct the exam, while a

technologist onsite can give the patient instructions,

monitor patient safety and administer any intravenous

contrast material that might be needed.

This means that specialized skills in MRI can now be

implemented wherever they are needed, even if the

necessary expertise is not available at the site where

the MRI machine is located.

 

Dr. Finn said the software program was tested by

performing some of the most demanding scans needed at

the hospital, such as scans of pediatric patients with

congenital cardiovascular disorders. The rationale was

that the patients undergoing these exams are the ones

for whom specialized assistance might be needed most.

 

In the study, 30 adult and pediatric patients

underwent traditional MRI with the technologist

onsite, and an additional 30 patients (also composed

of adults and children) were scanned by a remote

operator. The same MRI machine was used for all scans.

The images were then assessed for image quality.

 

Overall, 90 percent of remote scans were rated as

“excellent,” versus 60 percent of scans performed with

the operator onsite. Since the study was originally

accepted for publication, Dr. Finn indicated that an

additional 50 patients have been scanned with the

remote-control technique, also with excellent results.

 

 

This likely reflects expertise of the personnel

operating the MRI machine from off-site. As with many

institutions, onsite staff at UCLA may have limited

experience in performing specialized cardiac or

vascular scans.

 

Dr. Finn added that because the types of diagnostic

scans they have studied are among the most complex

currently undertaken, it seems reasonable to suggest

that the results can be generalized to other types of

studies.

 

“At UCLA, we have already established interstate and

transatlantic remote-control connectivity, and initial

results are very promising,” he said. “As the speed

and reliability of the Internet increases, it seems

inevitable that distance will provide no barrier to

the global application of this technology.”

 

Dr. Finn emphasizes that the same technology can also

be applied to computed tomography (CT) - especially

for use in an emergency setting, such as a natural

disaster or on the battlefield. Such events may

overwhelm local resources, where technologists trained

in specialized imaging techniques can be hard to find.

 

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