Realtime ultrasound diagnosis over a wide-area network (WAN) using off-the-shelf components

A trial system was developed for relaying realtime ultrasound images from an obstetric referral centre, the Maitland Hospital, to a tertiary-care centre, the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. The sites were approximately 30 km apart and connected by a microwave link at 2 Mbit/s. The pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of realtime ultrasound transmission using commonly available components.