Preliminary application study of using tele-ultrasound robot system in volunteers

Abstract

Objective To explore the accuracy of ultrasonic diagnosis using the tele-ultrasound robot system. Methods During the period from May to June 2018, 42 volunteers were consecutive selected to participate in this study, and their digestive system and urinary system were examined using the robot method manufactured by GI Tech Co., Ltd, Shenzhen and the traditional method. The results including the ultrasound diagnosis and the inspection time of two methods in each patient were compared. The ultrasonographic diagnosis of each volunteer was obtained by two methods and the time was recorded. The ultrasound images of the two methods were mixed together, and the quality of the images was evaluated double-blindly by two senior doctors. Results There were actually 25 positive lesions in 42 volunteers. In the ultrasonic diagnosis of the two methods, 22 lesions were positive detected by robot method, with 5 lesions misdiagnosed. In the traditional method, 24 lesions were positive detected, with 1 lesions misdiagnosed. Using the Wilcoxon signed rank test of paired sample comparison, the score obtained by the robot method was 4.79±0.57, and the score obtained by the traditional method was 4.81±0.54(Z=0.775, P=0.439), the difference was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in the images′ qulity between the robot method and the traditional method using the chi-square test of the four-grid data(P>0.05). The check time for volunteers with negative result was (8.64±2.95)min in robotic method and (2.55±0.74)min in the traditional method, the difference was statistically significant (t=15.161, P=0.000). Conclusions The robot method has high value in common disease diagnosis and high quality in image acquisition, and can be used in real-time diagnosis of the remote areas or community medical. Key words: Ultrasonography; Remote consultation; Telemedicine; Tele-ultrasound Robot System