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Techniques of Cardiac CT Scan: Patient Preparation, Contrast Medium, Scanning, and Post-Processing

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Pediatric Cardiac CT in Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

Cardiac imaging plays a key role in the accurate diagnosis of pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD). Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is increasingly being used for the evaluation of cardiovascular structures in infants and children with CHD. The prevalence of patients with congenital heart disease is rapidly increasing as a result of improved outcomes of medical, surgical, and catheter-based treatment strategies. Fast scan speeds and increased anatomic coverage, combined with a flexible ECG-synchronized scan and low radiation dose, are of critical importance in improving the image quality of cardiac CT scans and minimizing patient risks. The rapid image acquisition eliminates or reduces the need for sedation and anesthesia in those unable to cooperate with short breath hold. Contrast medium delivery becomes an essential means to accommodate increased noise and maintain a diagnostic contrast-to-noise ratio. Selection of the acquisition parameters, calculating contrast dose and identifying contrast delivery technique, and use of dose reduction strategies are important part of patient preparation and cardiac CT technique.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Heart Institute, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Dilachew A. Adebo

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Correspondence to Dilachew A. Adebo .

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  1. Division of Pediatric Cardiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Dilachew A. Adebo

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Adebo, D.A. (2021). Techniques of Cardiac CT Scan: Patient Preparation, Contrast Medium, Scanning, and Post-Processing. In: Adebo, D.A. (eds) Pediatric Cardiac CT in Congenital Heart Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74822-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74822-7_2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74822-7

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