Reduction in Radiation Dose in a Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Lab Using the Philips AlluraClarity X-ray System

The objective of this study was to compare radiation doses and imaging quality using Philips AlluraClarity (Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) X-ray system and an older generation reference system. AlluraClarity is a new generation fluoroscopy system designed to reduce radiation without compromising image quality, but reports of its use in pediatric patients are limited. Dose area products (DAP, mGy cm²) and DAP/kg were compared in patients catheterized using Allura Xper and AlluraClarity systems over a year of use for each. Randomly selected studies from each system were assessed for image quality. The 430 patients imaged with Clarity were larger than the 332 imaged with Xper (median BSA: 0.74 vs. 0.64 m², p = 0.06), and median total fluoroscopic times (TFT) were similar (15.8 vs. 16.1 min, p = 0.37). Median DAPs were 8661 mGy cm² (IQR: 18,300 mGy cm²) and 4523 mGy cm² (IQR: 11,596 mGy cm²) with Xper and Clarity, respectively (p < 0.001). There was a reduction in median DAP in all procedure categories. After adjustment for BSA, TFT, and procedure type, using Clarity was associated with a 57.5% (95% CI 51.5-62.8%, p < 0.001) reduction in DAP for all procedures. Reductions did not significantly differ by weight (<10 kg, 10-40 kg, ≥ 40 kg). There was an adjusted percent reduction in DAP for each procedure category ranging from 39.0% (95% CI 25.6-50.1%, p < 0.001) for cardiac biopsies with or without coronary angiography to 67.6% (95% CI 61.2-72.8%, p < 0.001) for device occlusions. Mean overall imaging quality scores (4.3 ± 0.8 with Clarity vs. 4.4 ± 0.6 with Xper, p = 0.62) and scores based on specific quality parameters were similar in the two groups. Use of AlluraClarity substantially reduced radiation doses compared to the older generation reference system without compromising imaging quality in a pediatric cardiac catheterization lab.