If an abnormality shows up in an ultrasound scan of a foetus, the image can now be transmitted to experts hundreds of kilometres away through a special fibre optic cable and their opinion received - all within a matter of minutes (Spectrum, No 245).

The new technology is being tried out in the St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, which has been linked through a fibre optic cable to the Centre for Fetal Care in Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London. The relayed image flashes on a video screen for an analysis by experts whose opinion can then be transmitted back - the whole procedure requiring just 15 minutes.