The feasibility of high-pitch acquisition protocol for imaging of the pediatric abdomen by dual-source CT

Purpose To investigate feasibility of high-pitch acquisition protocol for imaging of pediatric abdomen. Materials and methods The study group consisted of 90 patients scanned with high-pitch acquisition protocol (pitch = 3) by 64-slice dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner. Fifty-four patients scanned with standard protocol (pitch = 1.5) by 16-slice single-source CT scanner comprised the control group. Anteroposterior and lateral diameters of abdomen, effective diameter, scan time and length, qualitative and quantitative noise levels, volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose length product (DLP), and size-specific dose estimations were compared between groups. Results The mean scan time of high-pitch CT protocol was shorter than control protocol (1.66 ± 0.31 vs. 4.1 ± 0.75 s; p < 0.001). The high-pitch protocol reduced the radiation dose by 48% (CTDIvol and DLP values 0.94 mGy and 32.2 mGy-cm vs. 1.59 mGy and 61.5 mGy-cm; p < 0.001, respectively). Although image noise was higher with high-pitch acquisition, there was no significant effect on diagnostic confidence. Voluntary and involuntary artifacts were less frequent in high-pitch protocol (p < 0.001). Interobserver agreement was moderate in terms of artifact and very good in terms of diagnostic confidence assessment. Conclusion High-pitch acquisition protocol by DSCT yields significant radiation dose reduction without compromising image quality and diagnostic confidence for pediatric abdomen imaging.