Protocols

Pediatric CT Protocols

CT radiation dose should be appropriate for patient size and clinical indication. Because protocols vary across the many scanners in our practice, it is difficult to assess dose parameters directly for every site. In general, most locations appear to be doing well with respect to radiation dose. Dose concerns are occasionally recognized, but often these involve doses lower than optimal rather than excessive. In these situations, RADNTX’s Quality Team is notified so that the protocol can be reviewed and adjusted if necessary.

At a small number of sites, delayed phase imaging is being routinely obtained for abdomen/pelvis CT studies. In most pediatric cases, this phase is not necessary and increases radiation exposure, so these instances are also flagged for protocol review.

The most common technical issues relate to:

• Slice thickness (both excessively thin and excessively thick reconstructions);

• Contrast dose and injection timing;

• Motion artifact.

Optimizing these factors is important to ensure diagnostic image quality while maintaining appropriate radiation exposure for pediatric patients.

CT Chest, Chest/Abdomen, Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis, Abdomen, Abdomen/Pelvis

CT Head without Contrast

CT Soft Tissue Neck

Orbit, Face, Mandible