Abstract
Telemedicine offers potential advantages for regional healthcare. We report the usefulness of telemedicine using an image transfer system in the treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. An image transfer system, installed in our hospital and 11 regional hospitals in the Tsugaru district of Aomori Prefecture, has been utilized for teleconsultation of neurosurgical patients presenting with stroke, head trauma, and others disorders, since 1989.
Neuroimaging studies such as computed tomography were transmitted from the emergency care units of local hospitals to our department. Most subarachnoid hemorrhage patients were transported and treated by direct surgery or embolization. The group of patients referred using this system included cases that were less severely graded than those in the group of patients directly transported to the emergency unit of our hospital. The final outcomes of the referred patients were as favorable as those of the directly transported patients. Telemedicine using an image transfer system was sufficient for the care of neurosurgical cases, including subarachnoid hemorrhage patients.
