Comparative Performance of Low-Cost Portable Scanner in Pregnancy Profile Ultrasonography: A Promising Adjunct to Telemedicine

Abstract

Background and Objective: Ultrasound scanners are widely used in various clinical settings, but conventional devices are too expensive to deploy in every healthcare facility in low-resource countries. Alternative, less costly instruments with comparable efficacy are required to ensure this diagnostic service is available in even remotest areas. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a commercially available low-cost portable ultrasound machine, particularly focusing on pregnancy profiling. Material and Methods: A total of 77 pregnant females were scanned for basic obstetric parameters with two devices, first the low-cost scanner, and then a conventional ultrasound machine, considering the latter as the gold standard. The key obstetric parameters observed were the number of fetuses, the presence of cardiac pulsation and fetal movement, fetal biometry including Crown Rump Length (CRL), Bi-Parietal Diameter (BPD), and Femoral Length (FL), gestational age, placental location, amniotic fluid volume, and presentation of the fetus. Results: The portable device performed well compared with the standard machine in observing the fetal number, presentation, movement, heartbeat, placental location, and amniotic fluid volume. The correlation coefficients (r²) for measuring BPD, FL, CRL, and gestational age using the portable and standard devices were 0.9578, 0.9415, 0.8230, and 0.983, respectively. The mean absolute error (MAE) in the measurement of BPD, FL, CRL, and gestational age were 2.24 mm, 2.14 mm, 6.5 mm, and 0.94 weeks, respectively. Conclusion: The results demonstrated the potential of low-cost portable ultrasound devices in pregnancy profile scanning. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to explore their full potential. With appropriate data transfer arrangements, these devices have significant potential for integration into telemedicine services.