Multicentre chest computed tomography standardisation in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: the way...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pulmonology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Progressive cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is a primary cause of mortality in CF patients, beginning in early childhood.
• Current care standards show normal respiratory function in children, necessitating sensitive measures for early CF lung disease detection.
• Chest CT is the most sensitive imaging technique for monitoring pulmonary structural changes in pediatric and adolescent CF patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To standardize chest CT protocols for reliable quantification of structural lung disease across multiple centers.
• To optimize CT protocols for children and adolescents with CF in a multicenter setting.
• To assess chest CT image quality and radiation doses within the SCIFI CF framework.

Main Methods:

• The SCIFI CF (Standardised Chest Imaging Framework for Interventions and Personalised Medicine in CF) initiative involved 16 European CF centers across 10 countries.
• Characterization of chest CT image quality and radiation doses was performed.
• Analysis focused on optimizing CT protocols for pediatric and adolescent CF patients.

Main Results:

• A wide variation in CT protocols, image quality, and radiation dose usage was observed among participating centers.
• Despite variations, the performance of all CT scanners was found to be highly similar when considering spatial resolution and radiation dose.
• The study demonstrated the feasibility of multicenter standardization for chest CT in pediatric and adolescent CF patients.

Conclusions:

• Multicenter standardization of chest CT protocols in children and adolescents with CF is achievable.
• Standardized protocols are essential for reliable data in future clinical trials and personalized medicine approaches.
• This standardization will enhance the ability to monitor early CF lung disease and evaluate interventions effectively.