Comparison of telerobotic and conventional ultrasonography in children: a crossover bicentric pilot study

BACKGROUND: The MELODY system allows for performing ultrasonography on a patient remotely and has been proposed to assess disease characteristics in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this interventional crossover study was to address the feasibility of the system in children aged 1 to 10 years old. METHODS: Children underwent ultrasonography with a telerobotic ultrasound system followed by a second conventional examination by a different sonographer. RESULTS: In total, 38 children were enrolled, and 76 examinations were performed, with 76 scans analyzed. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] age of participants was 5.7 (2.7) years (range, 1–10 years). We found substantial agreement between telerobotic and conventional ultrasonography [κ=0.74 (95% CI: 0.53–0.94), P<0.005]. The mean (SD) duration was longer for telerobotic than conventional examinations [26.0 (2.5) vs. 13.9 (11.2) min, P<0.0001]. Abdominal organs and abnormalities were similarly visualized on telerobotic and conventional ultrasonography. Cardiac echocardiography provided reliable diagnoses, with non-significantly different measurements with both techniques, although the visualization score was significantly higher with conventional than telerobotic ultrasonography (P<0.05). On lung analysis, both examinations identified consolidations and pleural effusion, whereas visualization and total lung score were similar with the 2 techniques. Overall, 45% of parents reported that their children felt less pressure with the telerobotic system. CONCLUSIONS: Telerobotic ultrasonography may be effective, feasible, and well-tolerated in children.