[Teleradiology]

Teleradiology consists of the transmission of radiological images from one point to another. The use of a commercial telephone network allows easy and inexpensive transmission. Numerous applications are possible: management of patient transfers (for example the neurosurgery emergency service), distant interpretation of radiological images (telediagnosis), faster return of urgent examinations (direct transmission to examination monitors in medical or surgical emergency departments). Teleradiology raises technical problems: data entry (as not all radiological images are digitalised), quality and duration of transfer time, quality of display monitors; medicolegal problems: medical responsibility as well as storage (magnetic, magneto-optical or optical supports are not legally recognised at the present time). Although only in the early stages in France, teleradiology is being developed with relatively inexpensive equipment which can be described as an "image telephone".