EU-TeleInViVo: an integrated portable telemedicine workstation featuring acquisition, processing and transmission over low-bandwidth lines of 3D ultrasound volume images

A transportable telemedicine workstation has been designed, developed and evaluated for use in isolated areas such as islands, rural areas and crisis situation areas. The EU-TeleInViVo is a custom-made device integrating in one solid case: a portable PC with telecommunication capabilities and a light, portable 3D ultrasound station. The system developed has low price, low weight, is transportable and non-radiating. The integrated workstation uses advanced software techniques to acquire 3-dimensional ultrasound data of a patient. The device is now being tested in different socioeconomic conditions and adjusted accordingly to meet needs of developing countries and countries in transition. It currently comes in two versions, one fully portable, self-contained device, and a workstation version (PC attached to an ultrasound scanner for internal hospital use). A dedicated software package has been developed for the needs of this project, based on the InVivoScanNT software package developed at Fraunhofer IGD. During a teleconsultation, both partners, connected over a telecommunications network, are able to share the same interface and perform tasks visible in real time, even on low bandwidth channels, to both ends on the same data set. The system supports various ways of communication, such as Internet, ISDN, common phone lines, GSM, etc.