• Ibrahim Inan, Abdullah Algin, and Mehmet Sirik.
• Department of Radiology, Biruni University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
• J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2020 Jul 1; 30 (7): 730-734.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic agreement of transmitted images of cranial CT due to trauma, through WhatsApp software compared to workstation image-based diagnosis.Study DesignObservational study.Place And Duration Of StudyDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital, from January 2017 to May 2018.MethodologyA total of 94 cases that presented to the Emergency Department and underwent cranial CT were included in the study. CT images were video-recorded by the emergency physician using an Apple iPhone 7. The images were evaluated by two different radiologists using Samsung Galaxy Edge 7 and Samsung Note 8 mobile phones. Later, the radiological images were reviewed by two different radiologists at the PACS workstation. Then, the WhatsApp-mediated and final diagnoses were compared for various lesions to evaluate the interobserver agreement and diagnostic success of the use of WhatsApp software.ResultsIn the assessment of the interobserver agreement, the kappa values were found to be 0.89 for normal findings, 0.84 for subdural hematoma, 0.73 for subarachnoid hemorrhage, 0.81 for epidural hematoma, 0.85 for fractures, 1 for parenchymal hematoma, and 0.68 for parenchymal contusion.ConclusionAlthough WhatsApp can be used in the evaluation of emergency cranial CT images, it is essential to note that some findings, especially those indicating fractures, subdural hematoma, and parenchymal contusion, can be overlooked. Key Words: Teleradiology, PACS, Medical software, Computed tomography, WhatsApp, Instant Messenger.

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