BackgroundDisability has become a global population health challenge. Due to difficulties in self-care or independent living, patients with disability mainly live in community-based care centers or institutions for long-term care. Nonetheless, these settings often lack basic medical resources, such as ultrasonography. Thus, remote ultrasonic robot technology for clinical applications across wide regions is imperative. To date, few experiences of remote diagnostic systems in rural care centers have been reported.ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of a fifth-generation cellular technology (5G)-based robot-assisted remote ultrasound system in a care center for disabled patients in rural China.MethodsPatients underwent remote robot-assisted and bedside ultrasound examinations of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys. We compared the diagnostic consistency and differences between the two modalities and evaluated the examination duration, image quality, and safety.ResultsForty-nine patients were included (21 men; mean age: 61.0 ± 19.0 [range: 19–91] years). Thirty-nine and ten had positive and negative results, respectively; 67 lesions were detected. Comparing the methods, 41 and 8 patients had consistent and inconsistent diagnoses, respectively. The McNemar and kappa values were 0.727 and 0.601, respectively. The mean duration of remote and bedside examinations was 12.2 ± 4.5 (range: 5–26) min and 7.5 ± 1.8 (range: 5–13) min (p < 0.001), respectively. The median image score for original images on the patient side and transmitted images on the doctor side was 5 points (interquartile range: [IQR]: 4.7–5.0) and 4.7 points (IQR: 4.5–5.0) (p = 0.176), respectively. No obvious complications from the examination were reported.ConclusionsA 5G-based robot-assisted remote ultrasound system is feasible and has comparable diagnostic efficiency to traditional bedside ultrasound. This system may provide a unique solution for basic ultrasound diagnostic services in primary healthcare settings.

Purpose To assess the feasibility of ultrasound-guided (US-guided) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and determine predictive factors for hypocalcemia and elevated serum intact parathyroid hormone(ePTH) with normocalcemia after ablation. Materials and Methods Between January 2015 and January 2021, data from 44 patients with PHPT who were treated with US-guided RFA were retrospectively evaluated. Serum intact parathyroid hormone(iPTH), total calcium (Ca), phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) levels and the volume of the abnormal enlarged parathyroid glands were recorded before RFA. Changes in iPTH and Ca levels at 1 and 3 days, and, 1, 3, and 6 months after ablation were recorded. Results Overall, thirteen patients developed hypocalcemia 1–3 days after RFA. ePTH with normocalcemia developed in 17 patients 1 month after RFA. Thirty-two patients were followed up for more than 6 months, and 27 of these patients had sustained normalized values for both serum iPTH and Ca levels more than 6 months after RFA. There were significantly more patients who developed hypocalcaemia, when the baseline ALP was greater than 261.5 U/L (sensitivity 61.5%, specificity 100.0%). The risk of ePTH decreased by 21.7% for every 1 ng/mL increase in 25 (OH) D3. The risk of ePTH was increased when a patient's serum iPTH was higher than 172.4 pg/mL (sensitivity 88.2%, specificity 76.2%). Conclusions US-guided RFA is feasible for clinical management of PHPT patients. Hypocalcaemia following RFA was associated with higher pre-RFA serum ALP levels. Elevated iPTH levels with normocalcemia at 1 month after RFA were associated with pre-RFA vitamin D deficiency and higher baseline iPTH levels. Patients with higher serum ALP and iPTH and lower 25 (OH) D3 levels before RFA need to be managed carefully and monitored closely after RFA of PHPT.