Rapid wireless transmission of head CT images to a personal digital assistant for remote consultation.

Rationale And Objectives: We describe a simple technique for transmission of a complete set of cranial computed tomography (CT) images to a commercially available wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) for remote teleradiology consultation.

Materials And Methods: A complete set of images from the head CT of a trauma patient with subdural hematoma (19 images) was captured from a picture archiving and communication system and transmitted wirelessly as an e-mail attachment after being compressed. The images were retrieved, decompressed, and reviewed using commercially available software and a PDA with cellular phone capability.

Results: A complete head CT was transmitted to a remote radiologist's wireless PDA for consultation. The entire procedure (including image capture, transmission, and review) took approximately 11.5 minutes.

Conclusion: Using the technique described in this article the wireless PDA may function as a robust medium for facilitating care of brain trauma patients by allowing rapid access to trauma radiologists or neurosurgeons.