Objective: Telemedicine can offer services to remote patients regardless of the distance. Fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks may make telemedicine practical because of their low latency. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a novel 5G robot-assisted remote abdominal ultrasound (AUS) telemedicine technology in clinical applications in distant locations.
Methods: We performed 5G-based telerobotic AUS in patients who were located more than 100 km away from the physicians.
Results: The telerobotic AUS had a longer examination time than the conditional bedside AUS; however, the complete examination rate was not inferior. None of the volunteers experienced discomfort during the examination and the examination time was acceptable for all.
Conclusion: Our findings confirm the feasibility and safety of 5G-based telerobotic AUS in clinical practice.
Keywords: 5G; fifth-generation mobile network; remote; telemedicine; telerobotic abdominal ultrasonography.
© 2023 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.