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Published on: April 7, 2023
Initial clinical experience with high-pitch dual-source CT as a rapid technique for thoraco-abdominal evaluation in
A Tabari1, M Patino2, S J Westra1
1Division of Pediatric Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Insights
Dual-source high-pitch computed tomography (HPCT) provides diagnostic-quality chest and abdomen imaging in infants and young children without sedation. This rapid scanning technique offers an alternative to sedation-based imaging, ensuring acceptable image quality and safety.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiology
- Pediatric Imaging
Background:
- Sedation is often required for diagnostic imaging in pediatric patients.
- Computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for evaluating pediatric chest and abdominal conditions.
- High-pitch CT (HPCT) offers rapid scanning capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate dual-source high-pitch computed tomography (HPCT) for pediatric chest and abdomen imaging.
- To assess the diagnostic quality of HPCT in sedated and non-sedated infants and young children.
- To compare HPCT with standard-pitch CT (SPCT) in terms of image quality, radiation dose, and artifacts.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study included 53 pediatric patients undergoing chest or abdomen HPCT (pitch ≥1.5) and SPCT (pitch <1.5) on a dual-source CT system.
- Paediatric radiologists assessed image quality for diagnostic confidence, artifacts, and noise.
- Objective image noise and radiation dose (SSDE) were measured.
Main Results:
- Overall image quality of HPCT examinations was diagnostically acceptable in infants and young children.
- No major artifacts were reported with HPCT.
- Radiation dose (1.96±1 mGy) and objective image noise (11±3) were comparable between HPCT and SPCT (2.2±1 mGy and 11±5, respectively), with no significant differences.
Conclusions:
- Ultra-fast HPCT is a viable imaging technique for pediatric patients, eliminating the need for sedation.
- HPCT provides diagnostic-quality imaging in infants and young children.
- This technique presents a potential alternative to sedated magnetic resonance imaging for pediatric evaluations.
Aim:
To evaluate dual-source high-pitch computed tomography (HPCT) imaging of the chest and abdomen as a rapid scanning technique to obtain diagnostic-quality imaging evaluation of infants and young children without sedation.
Materials And Methods:
Fifty-three paediatric patients (age 24.1±2 months) who underwent chest or abdomen HPCT (≥1.5) and standard pitch CT (SPCT, <1.5) on a dual-source 128-row multidetector CT system were included in the study. Image quality assessment was performed by two paediatric radiologists for diagnostic confidence, image artefacts, and image noise. Objective image noise was measured.
Results:
Most of the CT examinations were performed in children who were >1 year old (n=15 and n=20) followed by ≤1 year old (n=8 and n=10) in SPCT and HPCT, respectively. The mean radiation dose (SSDE) from HPCT was 1.96±1 mGy compared to 2.2±1 mGy for SPCT (p=0.3). No major artefacts were reported and overall image quality of all HPCT examinations was acceptable diagnostically. In addition, objective image noise values were not significantly different between HPCT compared with SPCT (11±3 versus 11±5, p=0.7).
Conclusion:
Ultra-fast, HPCT can be performed without the need for sedation as a potential alternative to anaesthetised magnetic resonance imaging in infants and young children.
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