Electronic transmission of digital echocardiographic studies: effects of MPEG compression

The acquisition, storage and retrieval of digital echocardiographic studies greatly facilitates image review and quantitation and permits the transmis sion of studies electronically. However, the considerable size of digital e chocardiographic data files makes transmission over existing networks slow and impractical. Reduction in the size of these data files can be accomplis hed with digital image compression. We sought to evaluate the effects of MP EG-1 compression on the transfer time of digital echocardiographic studies over currently available network connections. Ninety consecutive routine cl inical echocardiographic studies were randomly compressed at one of three c ompression ratios 60:1, 80:1, or 120:1 and sent to a receiving terminal usi ng simulated transmission rates. Compression of digital echocardiographic s tudies at these ratios which, have been shown to maintain diagnostic image quality, reduced the size of digital echocardiographic studies to less than 1% of their original sizes which allowed transmission of echocardiographic studies over networks using 3ISDN or T1 lines with minimal waiting time. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.