To evaluate the accuracy, feasibility, and clinical impact of teleultrasound in antenatal care, particularly in underserved areas.
Key Findings:
Teleultrasound demonstrated diagnostic performance comparable to conventional ultrasound for fetal and placental structures.
Pooled risk ratio for fetal structure identification was 1.02, indicating noninferiority.
Overall diagnostic accuracy showed an area under the ROC curve of 0.93.
Pooled sensitivity was 70%, with a false-positive rate of 3%.
Interobserver agreement ranged from moderate to excellent, with variability in complex assessments.
High acceptability reported by patients and clinicians, especially in reducing travel time.
Interpretation:
Teleultrasound provides comparable diagnostic performance to standard ultrasound in selected obstetric applications, with potential benefits in access and efficiency, but emphasizes the need for more high-quality randomized trials.
Limitations:
Significant heterogeneity among studies and variable reporting of technical standards, impacting findings.
Many studies were observational and at risk of bias.
Limited diagnostic scope for patient-operated home ultrasound systems.
Conclusion:
Teleultrasound shows promise for obstetric care, particularly in improving access and efficiency, but requires more high-quality randomized trials for broader implementation.
