Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness and cost of commercially available video conferencing units and standard Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connections for real-time multi-site transmissions of interventional procedures.
Methods: A network of five separate interventional radiology departments-three in the Czech Republic and one each in Austria and the USA-was established using Polyspan (Polycom in the USA) View Stations and ISDN connections. This network was used for transmissions of 16 live interventional procedures to the Sixth International Workshop on Interventional Radiology in Prague, Czech Republic in June 2000.
Results: The transmissions were successful and of sufficient quality to contribute to the educational success of the workshop. The cost of the ISDN transmissions was a fraction of satellite transmission costs.
Conclusion: Multi-site real-time interventional procedure transmissions using video conferencing Polyspan (Polycom) View Stations and ISDN connections are a promising means of improving interventional tele-education and decreasing its cost.