Hyun Woo Goo MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Dong Hyun Yang MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To describe parameters of low-dose pediatric 16-detector row CT important for radiation dose and image quality.

Institutional review board approved this restrospective study with waived informed consent. 543 CT examinations of six anatomic regions (chest 204, heart 75, abdomen-pelvis 161, abdomen dynamic 41, neck 26, and brain 36) in 338 children (mean age, 6.4 years; range, 4 days-15 years) were performed for 6 months. Both tube potential and current were adapted to seven body weight groups and tube current modulation was employed. For each anatomic region, radiation dose parameters, including CTDIvol, DLP, and effective dose, and image quality parameters, including image noise, SNR, and CNR, were calculated. Our results were compared to available data in the literature.

Average CTDIvol (mGy), DLP (mGy•cm), effective dose (mSv), image noise, SNR, and CNR were as follows: 2.1/64.8/1.4/16.2/46.7/37.8 for chest CT, 1.7/25.1/0.8/13.7/64.3/54.8 for heart CT, 2.9/130.6/3.1/13.0/20.7/10.0 for abdomen-pelvis CT, 3.5/153.5/3.5/12.0/20.4/9.0 for abdomen dynamic CT, 3.5/86.2/1.0/7.9/52.7/33.8 for neck CT, 25.4/376.1/1.3/3.7/14.1/11.5 for brain CT, respectively. Compared to previous data, doses of chest and abdomen-pelvis CT were smaller and dose of brain CT was similar. Of note, image noises of this study were comparable to previous data.

We summarize radiation dose and image quality parameters in pediatric 16-detector row CT and doses of pediatric chest and abdomen-pelvis CT can be reduced to our levels without image degradation.

Parameters described in this study may be used as a reference for future studies on pediatric CT protocol.

Goo, H, Yang, D, Low-dose Pediatric Sixteen-detector Row CT: A Summary of Parameters Important for Radiation Dose and Image Quality from 543 Examinations.  Radiological Society of North America 2007 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2007 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2007/5001650.html