Preliminary application study of 5G-based robotic remote ultrasound diagnosis system in musculoskeletal joint injuries / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the value of 5G-based robotic remote ultrasound diagnosis system in musculoskeletal joint injuries.Methods:From March to December 2020, 58 volunteers at a training base who felt musculoskeletal pain or paresthesia were selected and performed both robotic remote ultrasound (remote ultrasound group) and conventional ultrasound (portable ultrasound group). The two types of examinations were compared, the consistency of the two diagnosis results was analyzed by the Kappa test, and the the difference of the diagnosis results was compared by McNemar test.Results:Among the 58 volunteers, 40 cases were positive by both methods and 11 volunteers had 2-3 positive results. There were 59 positive results in the remote ultrasound group and 64 positive results in the portable ultrasound group. The positive rate of the examination sites from high to low was knee joint>foot and ankle joint >hand and wrist joint >shoulder joint>elbow joint, calf and hip. The diagnosis results of the two groups were in good consistency (Kappa=0.782, P<0.001), and there was no statistically significant difference in the diagnosis results between the two groups (χ 2=3.2, P=0.063). Five more diseases with positive results were detected in the portable ultrasound group 1 meniscus injury, 1 medial collateral ligament injury, 1 soft tissue injury around the metatarsal, 1 biceps tendinitis with effusion and 1 cubital ulnar nerve subluxation. Conclusions:The 5G-based robotic remote ultrasound system has good consistency with conventional ultrasound in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal injures. It can be applied to the ultrasound diagnosis of musculoskeletal joint injuries in remote areas.