[Medical image transmission via communication satellite: evaluation of bone scintigraphy]

As compared with terrestrial circuits, the communication satellite possesses superior characteristics such as wide area coverage, broadcasting, high capacity, and robustness to disasters. Utilizing the narrow band channel (64 kbps) of the geostationary satellite JCSAT1 located at the altitude of 36,000 km above the equator, the authors investigated satellite-relayed medical images by video signals, with bone scintigraphy as a model. Each bone scintigraphy was taken by a handy-video camera, digitalized and transmitted from faculty of technology located at 25 kilometers apart from our department. Clear bone scintigraphy was obtained via satellite, as seen on the view box. Eight nuclear physicians evaluated 20 cases of bone scintigraphy. ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis was performed between the scintigraphies on view box and via satellite by the rating method. The area under the ROC curve was 91.6 +/- 2.6% via satellite, and 93.2 +/- 2.4% on the view box and there was no significant difference between them. These results suggest that the satellite communication is very useful and effective system to send nuclear imagings to distant institutes.