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Paediatric cardiac computed tomography: a review of imaging techniques and radiation dose consideration

Carolyn Young1, Andrew M Taylor, Catherine M Owens

  • 1Cardiorespiratory Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK. YoungC@gosh.nhs.uk

European Radiology
|December 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

New multi-detector CT technology improves cardiac imaging for children under 15 kg. Prospective ECG-gating significantly reduces radiation dose, making it comparable to non-gated studies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric radiology
  • Cardiovascular imaging
  • Medical physics

Background:

  • Imaging the heart in children under 15 kg presents significant challenges.
  • Advancements in multi-detector CT technology have improved temporal and spatial resolution.
  • ECG-gating enables cardiac imaging in pediatric patients, even with high heart rates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review ECG-gating techniques for cardiac imaging in young children (<15 kg).
  • To discuss radiation dose reduction strategies using prospective ECG-gating.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for optimal pediatric cardiac CT protocols.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent literature on cardiac CT in pediatric patients.
  • Analysis of in-house data, protocols, and dose measurements.
  • Discussion of dose calculation methods and their biases.

Main Results:

  • Multi-detector CT with ECG-gating allows imaging in children with high heart rates without beta-blockers.
  • Prospective ECG-gating substantially reduces radiation burden.
  • Optimized prospective ECG-gating achieves dose levels equivalent to non-gated studies.

Conclusions:

  • ECG-gating is a preferred technique for cardiac CT in children under 15 kg.
  • Prospective ECG-gating offers significant radiation dose reduction.
  • Standardized protocols and accurate dose assessment are crucial for pediatric cardiac CT.

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