Introduction to Teleradiology

Telemedicine aids in examination, investigation, monitoring, and treatment of patients who are located away from the physician. Teleradiology is a branch of telemedicine in which electronic transmission of radiological patient images, such as X-rays, computed tomography images, and magnetic resonance images, takes place. A basic teleradiology system consists of three major components: an image-sending station, a transmission network, and a receiving/imagereview station. In addition to its vast application in medical fields, teleradiology can also be useful for training new radiologists, assisting and training radiologists in developing countries, diagnosing injured soldiers on or near the battlefield, performing radiological procedures in space, etc.