iPhone Radiology Images Sharp Enough to Enable Stroke Diagnoses: Study

Calgary Scientific's ResolutionMD

For the Mayo study, researchers used ResolutionMD, which allows physicians to locate and access patient images and reports in real time as well as share images through embedded links in an email or text. Calgary Scientific launched version 3.1 of the app on Sept. 11.

ResolutionMD on the iPad

Calgary Scientific's ResolutionMD app allows doctors to view radiology images on the iPad as well as the iPhone and Android devices.

Brain Scans on a Smartphone

In the Mayo Clinic study, emergency physicians and radiologists at Yuma Regional Medical Center compared brain scan images of 53 stroke patients. These medical professionals as well as stroke neurologists from an outside panel compared the scan on smartphones with those on a desktop and on a PACS. The researchers found 92 to 100 percent agreement between the images for essential radiological features.

Telemedicine and Neurological Care

More than 45 percent of Americans live at least 60 minutes away from a primary stroke center, Mayo Clinic reported. Telemedicine using smartphone apps holds great promise for patients in rural areas that can't travel to medical facilities, like Arizona's Yuma Regional Medical Center, Demaerschalk suggested. More than 40 percent of the population in Arizona lacks immediate access to neurologic care, he said.

Mayo Clinic

In telestroke sessions, doctors in Mayo Clinic's telestroke network typically use telemedicine applications or robots at a rural hospital to view patients from a PACS or on a PC. Now physicians will also be able to view the images on smartphones.

Secure Access to Smartphone Images

ResolutionMD password-protects images on the iPhone, Demaerschalk noted. "None of this information is housed permanently on the device," he said in a Mayo Clinic video. "If the device was stolen or retrieved by someone else, they would not have access to this confidential patient information."

Scanning for Signs of Stroke

By running a finger along the side of the screen, doctors can examine CT scans for cranial hemorrhages and hyperdense arteries, said Demaerschalk.

Live Collaboration on a Smartphone

While reviewing the scan, doctors can collaborate with colleagues elsewhere in the Mayo network in ResolutionMD and use a pointer to highlight elements of a scan that require discussion.