%0 Journal Article
%T High
%A Francesco Sardanelli
%A Francesco Secchi
%A Giovanni Di Leo
%A Ida Daniela D'Angelo
%A Marco Al足
%A Marco Scarabello
%A Paola Maria Canna辰
%J Acta Radiologica
%@ 1600-0455
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0284185117752981
%X Cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT) technology is rapidly advancing allowing to perform good quality examinations with a radiation dose as low as 1.2 mSv. However, latest generation scanners are not available in all centers. To estimate radiation dose and image quality in pediatric CCT using a standard 64-slice scanner. A total of 100 patients aged 6.9ˋ㊣ˋ5.4 years (meanˋ㊣ˋstandard deviation) who underwent a 64-slice CCT scan using 80, 100, or 120 kVp, were retrospectively evaluated. Radiation effective dose was calculated on the basis of the dose length product. Two independent readers assessed the image quality through signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and a qualitative score (3ˋ=ˋvery good, 2ˋ=ˋgood, 1ˋ=ˋpoor). Non-parametric tests were used. Fifty-five exams were not electrocardiographically (ECG) triggered, 20 had a prospective ECG triggering, and 25 had retrospective ECG triggering. The median effective dose was 1.3 mSv (interquartile range [IQR]ˋ=ˋ0.8每2.7 mSv). Median SNR was 30.6 (IQRˋ=ˋ23.4每33.6) at 120 kVp, 29.4 (IQRˋ=ˋ23.7每34.8) at 100 kVp, and 24.7 (IQRˋ=ˋ19.4每34.3) at 80 kVp. Median CNR was 21.0 (IQRˋ=ˋ14.8每24.4), 19.1 (IQRˋ=ˋ15.6每23.9), and 25.3 (IQRˋ=ˋ19.4每33.4), respectively. Image quality was very good, good, and poor in 56, 39, and 5 patients, respectively. No significant differences were found among voltage groups for SNR (Pˋ=ˋ0.486), CNR (Pˋ=ˋ0.336), and subjective image quality (Pˋ=ˋ0.296). The inter-observer reproducibility was almost perfect (百ˋ=ˋ0.880). High-quality pediatric CCT can be performed using a 64-slice scanner, with a radiation effective dose close to 2ˋmSv in about 50% of the cases
%K Cardiovascular computed tomography
%K pediatric computed tomography
%K congenital heart diseases
%K radiation dose
%K 64-slice CT
%K image quality
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0284185117752981