CT scans sent by smart phones are clear enough for accurate diagnoses.

Let's say, your daughter is away on a school trip. she's having abdominal pain. The ER doctor at the local hospital suspects appendicitis, but wants a radiologist to look at the CT scan images. There isn't one available at the moment. Using a $19.95 iPhone app, downloaded from iTunes, the images are sent to the radiology department of a teaching hospital more than 300 miles away. Within minutes the appendicitis diagnosis is confirmed and the appendectomy performed without further delay.

Study Proves Accuracy

This scenario mirrors a recent study in which researchers (Asim Choudhri, MD, a fellow in neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins performed the study while at the University of Virginia) took CT images of 25 patients suspected of having appendicitis and sent them via iPhone to five radiology residents. Then, the residents were asked to make a diagnosis based on what they could see on their phones. Only one reader failed to make the right diagnosis. In every other case, the residents correctly determined that 15 of the patients were suffering from appendicitis and that 10 of the patients did not have appendicitis and did not need treatment.

Elliot Fishman MD,, director of diagnostic imaging at Johns Hopkins University, says ,"The promise is that we can look at anything anywhere. The technology can expedite diagnosis and, therefore, treatment."