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Accuracy, image quality and radiation dose comparison of high-pitch spiral and sequential acquisition on 128-slice dual-source CT angiography in children with congenital heart disease

  • Pediatric
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Abstract

Objectives

To compare accuracy, image quality and radiation dose between high-pitch spiral and sequential modes on 128-slice dual-source computed tomographic (DSCT) angiography in children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods

Forty patients suspected with CHD underwent 128-slice DSCT angiography with high-pitch mode and sequential mode respectively. All the anomalies were confirmed by the surgical and/or the conventional cardiac angiography (CCA) findings. The diagnostic accuracy, the subjective and objective image quality and effective radiation doses were compared.

Results

There was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy (χ 2 = 0.963, P > 0.05), the objective parameters for image quality (P > 0.05) and the image quality of great vessels (u = 167.500, P > 0.05) between the two groups. The image quality of intracardiac structures and coronary arteries was significantly better in the sequential mode group than that in the high-pitch group (u = 112.500 and 100.000, P < 0.05). The mean effective dose in high-pitch group (0.17 ± 0.05 mSv) was significantly lower (t = 5.287, P < 0.05) than that in the sequential mode group (0.29 ± 0.09 mSv).

Conclusions

Both the high-pitch and the sequential modes for 128-slice DSCT angiography provide high accuracy for the assessment of CHD in children, while the high-pitch mode, even with some image quality decrease, further significantly lowers the radiation dose.

Key Points

• Modern CT provides excellent anatomical detail of congenital heart disease.

• Dual source CT systems offer high-pitch spiral and sequential modes.

• The high-pitch mode provides high accuracy for the assessment of CHD.

• A few images using the high-pitch mode were occasionally slightly degraded.

• But the high-pitch mode significantly lowers the radiation dose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardio-cerebral Vascular Diseases, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China

    Pei Nie, Ximing Wang, Zhaoping Cheng, Xiaopeng Ji & Yanhua Duan

  2. CT Research Collaboration, Siemens Ltd. China, Beijing, China

    Jiuhong Chen

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  1. Pei Nie
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  2. Ximing Wang
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  3. Zhaoping Cheng
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  4. Xiaopeng Ji
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  5. Yanhua Duan
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  6. Jiuhong Chen
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Correspondence to Ximing Wang.

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Nie, P., Wang, X., Cheng, Z. et al. Accuracy, image quality and radiation dose comparison of high-pitch spiral and sequential acquisition on 128-slice dual-source CT angiography in children with congenital heart disease. Eur Radiol 22, 2057–2066 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-012-2479-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-012-2479-1

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