Mobile App Gateway Event: Tele-Ultrasound Deployment in Rural Areas of Peru

On Thursday, May 2 at 9 a.m., the next Mobile App Gateway seminar series will explore how doctors are addressing the need for diagnostic imaging in rural areas around the world.

Join Benjamín Castañeda Aphan, professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Peru, as he discusses how ultrasound based telemedicine is being used to diagnose and treat patients who would otherwise lack access to adequate diagnostic imaging services.

“Millions lack access to adequate diagnostic imaging services in rural areas worldwide. As a low-cost and portable imaging modality, ultrasound will play a key role in correcting these disparities. However, access to ultrasound technology is limited by availability of trained sonographers and readers in rural areas. As a solution, an ultrasound based telemedicine imaging system has been developed for deployment in rural areas in which ultrasound naïve rural health workers perform volume sweep imaging (VSI) protocols based on only external body landmarks for diagnosing obstetrical, gallbladder, and thyroid pathology. Our telemedicine ultrasound system was piloted in an academic setting at the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima (PUCP) and in the Peruvian rainforest. Health workers were trained on VSI protocols, image capture, labeling, and electronic transmission over 2-3 days. Trainees then obtained images from patients requiring obstetrics, gallbladder, or thyroid scans. Images were uploaded to a cloud-based system and then downloaded and read by radiologists all using custom software. Preliminary results suggest that trainees can learn VSI protocols within 3 days. Our complete telemedicine system can provide a low-cost and scalable diagnostic service suitable for deployment in rural areas.” -Dr.Benjamín Castañeda Aphan

This event is free and will take place from 9 until 10 a.m. in Pearson 1026. Find more information and register here.