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World J Methodol. Jan 18, 2019; 9(1): 20-25
Published online Jan 18, 2019. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v9.i1.20
Importance of the telemedicine network for neurosurgery in Slovenia
Tomaz Velnar, Tilen Zele, Roman Bosnjak
Tomaz Velnar, Tilen Zele, Roman Bosnjak, Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Tomaz Velnar, AMEU-ECM, Maribor, Slovenia
Author contributions: Velnar T, Zele T, and Bosnjak R contributed equally to this work; Velnar T designed the research; Zele T and Bosnjak R analyzed the data; Velnar T, Zele T, and Bosnjak R wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tomaz Velnar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Doctor, Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloska 7, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia. tvelnar@hotmail.com
Telephone: +386-1-5223250 Fax: +386-1-5222218
Received: September 28, 2018
Peer-review started: September 28, 2018
First decision: November 29, 2018
Revised: December 16, 2018
Accepted: January 5, 2019
Article in press: January 6, 2019
Published online: January 18, 2019
Processing time: 112 Days and 2.1 Hours
Abstract

The number of invasive procedures in medicine is increasing, as is the employment of new technological achievements. In the era of information-communication technology, one such achievement is also the telemedicine network. In Slovenia, it is known as the Telekap (TeleStroke) network, which was primarily designed for fast and efficient management of stroke patients. In the neurosurgical community, the system is frequently used also for conveying vital information regarding subarachnoid haemorrhage and trauma. Especially in neurosurgical emergencies, this communication system offers thorough information about the extent and location of bleeding and facilitates the preoperative planning of neurosurgical interventions. From our experience so far, the system should be expanded to other neuro-centres as well to all neurosurgery departments in order to facilitate patient management, their acute hospital care, and inter-speciality collaboration.

Keywords: Telemedicine; Neurosurgery; Neurosurgical planning; Neuroimaging; Slovenia

Core tip: The telemedicine network in Slovenia is known as the Telekap (TeleStroke) network, which was primarily designed for fast and efficient management of stroke. In the neurosurgical community, the system is frequently used for conveying information regarding subarachnoid haemorrhage and trauma. It offers thorough information about the extent and location of the pathology and facilitates the neurosurgical intervention.