Image Quality and Radiation Dose of High-Pitch Dual-Source Spiral Cardiothoracic Computed Tomography in Young Children with Congenital Heart Disease: Comparison of Non-Electrocardiography Synchronization and Prospective Electrocardiography Triggering

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare image quality and radiation dose of high-pitch dual-source spiral cardiothoracic computed tomography (CT) between non-electrocardiography (ECG)-synchronized and prospectively ECG-triggered data acquisitions in young children with congenital heart disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-six children (≤ 3 years) with congenital heart disease who underwent high-pitch dual-source spiral cardiothoracic CT were included in this retrospective study. They were divided into two groups (n = 43 for each; group 1 with non-ECG-synchronization and group 2 with prospective ECG triggering). Patient-related parameters, radiation dose, and image quality were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in patient-related parameters including age, cross-sectional area, body density, and water-equivalent area between the two groups (p > 0.05). Regarding radiation dose parameters, only volume CT dose index values were significantly different between group 1 (1.13 ± 0.09 mGy) and group 2 (1.07 ± 0.12 mGy, p 0.05). CONCLUSION: In high-pitch dual-source spiral pediatric cardiothoracic CT, additional ECG triggering does not substantially reduce motion artifacts in young children with congenital heart disease.