Teleradiology: case series and experience acquired in the military field

Abstract

Our aim was to evaluate the peculiarities of military teleradiology on the basis of the large case series collected between January 2006 and December 2010. We analysed all radiological teleconsultations/telediagnoses requested by theatres of operations: Kosovo, Iraq, Chad, warships Etna (Indian Ocean) and Cavour (earthquake in Haiti), for a total of 1,132 cases. As part of the case series collected in Kosovo (n=827), we evaluated the entire sample of patients transferred to the Celio Military Hospital in Rome following a teleradiological diagnosis (27 examinations analysed). A total of 1,132 radiological examinations were requested (704 military and 428 civilians). Comparison between teleradiology diagnoses and diagnoses made after patient transfer showed almost perfect concordance based on Cohen's Kappa (κ) statistic (92.59% identical diagnoses), with only a small minority of false positive results (two cases, 7.4%). The use of teleradiology by the Military Medical Corps helped attain an accurate diagnosis in almost all cases, significantly reducing diagnostic errors and limiting transfers from theatres of operation to cases genuinely necessitating transfer.