Dedicated pediatric departments and technologists may adhere closer to protocols for pediatric CT scans.
Using dedicated pediatric imaging departments and equipment for pediatric CT scans significantly reduces the patient’s radiation dose, researchers found.
For a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, researchers reviewed abdominal and pelvic CT console dose and exposure parameter data on 495 patients from a combined pediatric and adult radiology department, as well as 244 patients from a pediatric radiology department. Patients were divided into weight categories.
Researchers found a “significant decrease” in the estimated effective dose for studies in all but one weight category in the dedicated pediatric department.
Dedicated pediatric departments and technologists may adhere closer to pediatric protocols, said lead author Heather L. Borders, MD.
“The use of protocols with adjusted exposure parameters for pediatric patients on the basis of child size, organ system scanned and the size of the region scanned is most notable. However, compliance with these protocols can be challenging for technologists, particularly when scanning a combination of adult and pediatric patients,” she said.
Borders added that departments that scan both children and adults may need greater scrutiny of pediatric CT protocols.
AI Adjudication Bolsters Chest CT Assessment of Lung Adenocarcinoma
April 11th 2024The inclusion of simulated adjudication for resolving discordant nodule classifications in a deep learning model for assessing lung adenocarcinoma on chest CT resulted in a 12 percent increase in sensitivity rate.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
Five-Year Study Shows Significant Overuse of CT Angiography in the ER
April 2nd 2024Researchers noted a 67.4 percent increase in head and neck CT angiography and a 38 percent reduction in findings of acute pathology in a recent comparison of 2017 and 2021 statistics for headache and/or dizziness presentations at the emergency department of an urban academic medical center.
Could Virtual Non-Contrast Images from Photon-Counting CT Reduce Radiation Dosing with CCTA?
March 28th 2024Emerging research on coronary artery calcium scoring for the assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) suggests the use of virtual non-contrast images from photon-counting CT may lead to a nearly 20 percent reduction in radiation dosing.