A process to transmit medical images via cellular phones, developed by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researcher Prof. Boris Rubinsky, could provide sophisticated radiological diagnoses and treatment to most of the world's population lacking access to such technology. Designed to replace stand-alone medical imaging systems, the system comprises two independent components connected through cellular phone technology.
Under Rubinsky's concept, an independent data acquisition device (DAD), situated at a remote patient site, transmits raw data via mobile phone to an advanced image reconstruction and hardware control multiserver unit at a central site. The server processes the raw data into an image for the DAD. Because the medical image is produced at a central server and not on the DAD, medical image processing advances could be continuously made available to remote global regions, which generally lack the funds for sophisticated imaging equipment but often have mobile phone communication.
According to Rubinsky, the arrangement not only reduces medical imaging costs but also eliminates the need to train personnel in advanced imaging at the patient site. "The DAD can be made with off-the-shelf parts that somebody with basic technical training can operate," Rubinsky noted.
