Teleradiologie: bedreigingen en kansen

Conflict of interest: Krestin has received remuneration from Bracco International B.V. and Siemens AG for lectures, and, via his institute, from GE Healthcare for recommendations. Financial support for this article: none declared.

• Radiological interpretation and reporting have become a commodity that may be farmed out elsewhere on the planet: teleradiology.

• The impact of this development fully depends on our understanding of the role of radiology as a specialty. If radiology is solely defined as the provision of medical image interpretation then commoditization of radiology through teleradiology services will lead to a deterioration in the status of radiologists. They may even become redundant as hospital specialists.

• However, if radiology is seen in a broader context with much more emphasis on its added value through specialized consultancy, then teleradiology may be an important instrument for improvement and optimalisation of imaging services.