WINSTON-SALEM, NC – July 28, 2022 – neuroradiologists in Wake Forest University School of Medicine have started a pilot study testing the use of virtual reality (VR) systems to remotely read MRIs and other medical images.
Jonathan Burdette, M.D.A radiology professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, he regularly travels to Ecuador to help doctors read radiology studies, because there are few subspecialty-trained neuroradiologists in the South American country.
Many radiologists in the US and Canada volunteer their time to help their colleagues in developing countries, but these practices are often less than ideal due to technology limitations.
Now, through this pilot study, Burdette and her team, including Christopher Whitlow, MD, Ph.D.president of radiology, and Josh Tan, manager of diagnostic radiology systems at Atrium Health Wake Forest Bautistaare exploring how VR technology can help better serve patients in Ecuador and beyond.
Lenovo provided the hardware for the pilot study and Luxsonic Technologies provided the software, designed from the ground up to provide a secure, affordable and easy way for radiologists to connect with their colleagues.
“What’s wonderful about this is that it’s a collaborative environment with people who can look at medical images at the same time, no matter where they are in the world,” Burdette said. “We can interpret images in incredible detail while communicating with referring physicians who view the same images in real time, which is simply not possible in a traditional hospital reading room.”
This collaboration was made possible by Burdette’s connections with Nelson Maldonado, MD, the founder of the QRA Medical Specialties Clinic in Quito, Ecuador. In addition, Karol Cardenas, MD, who trained at Universidad San Francisco de Quito and recently began her neuroradiology fellowship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, will help optimize the educational potential of the VR system with links between neuroradiology section at Wake Forest Baptist and its residency program in Ecuador.
Given the portability of the system, Burdette and his team envision many future possibilities for using this technology, such as remote reading of subspecialty scans across the atrium health or have a portable ultrasound unit in an ambulance or helicopter where multiple people in the hospital can view the images in real time while the patient is en route.
“The sky is the limit,” Burdette said. “The educational, clinical and research possibilities in the VR environment are endless. We still don’t know exactly what the future may bring, but this is certainly exciting and it’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we can do.”
The use of this technology in the collaboration with Ecuador, while challenging, will provide a model for future collaborations around the world.
Burdette is confident that “if we can do this in Ecuador, we can do it anywhere in the world.”
Atrium Health Wake Forest Bautista (www.wakehealth.edu) is a preeminent academic health system headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and part of Atrium Health Enterprise. The two main components of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist are an integrated clinical system, anchored by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, an 885-bed tertiary care hospital in Winston-Salem, which includes Brenner Children’s Hospital, five community hospitals, more than 300 primary and specialized care centers and more than 2,700 doctors; Y Wake Forest University School of Medicinethe academic core of Atrium Health Enterprise and a recognized leader in experiential medical education and innovative research including Wake Forest Innovations, a marketing company focused on advancing health care through new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist employs more than 20,000 teammates, part of the 70,000 Atrium Health teammates throughout the Southeast. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist provided a record $611.2 million in community benefits during fiscal year 2021, including non-reimbursable care, charity care, education and research, and community health improvement. Follow us Facebook, Twitter Y Instagram.