Hybrid Treatment Planning for Chest Wall Irradiation Utilizing Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3DCRT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): A Systematic Review.

Novel hybrid approaches for chest wall irradiation show promising outcomes regarding target coverage and sparing organs at risk (OARs). In this systematic review, we compared hybrid volumetric modulated arc therapy (H-VMAT) or hybrid intensity-modulated radiotherapy (H-IMRT) techniques with non-hybrid techniques, such as three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT), field-in-field (FIF), intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), for breast cancer patients with mastectomy. Our focus was the plan quality and dose distribution to the OARs. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, we performed a systematic review and quality appraisal of primary studies evaluating hybrid therapy to the chest wall and the OARs. An extensive online search of PubMed and Scopus databases was conducted using appropriate keywords. The dose to the OARs (lung, heart, and contralateral breast), planning target volume (PTV), homogeneity index (HI), and conformity index (CI) were extracted. The data were then tabulated and compared for the outcomes between modalities among the studies. Nine studies that met the search criteria were selected to evaluate the PTV coverage and dosimetric results of hybrid and non-hybrid techniques. In terms of 95% PTV coverage, among nine reviewed studies, the largest difference between the two techniques was between VMAT (47.6 Gy) and H-VMAT (48.4 Gy); for the conformity index, the largest difference was noted between 3DCRT (0.58) and H-VMAT (0.79). In both cases, differences were statistically significant (P < 0.005). Two studies showed dose homogeneity improvement within the treatment target in H-VMAT (0.15 and 0.07) compared with 3DCRT (0.41 and 0.12), with a P value of <0.001. Two studies did not report on the homogeneity index, and three others observed no statistical difference. Regarding OARs, in the comparison of H-VMAT and VMAT, the largest significant change was in the volume receiving 5 Gy (V5Gy) of the ipsilateral lung and the V10Gy of the contralateral lung. For the ipsilateral lung, V5Gy was 90.7% with VMAT versus 51.45% with H-VMAT. For the contralateral lung, V10Gy was 54.9% with VMAT versus 50.5% with H-VMAT. In six studies, the mean dose of the contralateral breast was lower in hybrid techniques than in single modalities: VMAT (4.2%, 6.0%, 1.9%, 7.1%, 4.57%) versus H-VMAT (1.4%, 3.4%, 1.8%, 3.5%, 2.34%) and IMRT (9.1%) versus H-IMRT (4.69%). Although most studies did not report on monitor units and treatment time, those that included them showed that hybrids had lower monitor units and shorter treatment times. Hybrid techniques in radiotherapy, such as combining two modalities, can indeed facilitate lower doses to OARs for patients with a high risk of toxicities. Prospective clinical studies are needed to determine the outcomes of breast cancer treated with hybrid techniques.

Investigating knowledge of DRLs, image quality and radiation dose in PET/CT and CT imaging among medical imaging professionals.

Objective: To investigate the knowledge of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs), image quality, radiation dose and protocol parameters among Jordanian medical imaging professionals (MIPs) involved in PET/CT and CT scan procedures. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was designed and distributed to MIPs in Jordan. The survey comprised four sections: demographic data, MIP knowledge on dose/protocol parameters, image quality, and DRLs. Statistical analyses were performed utilizing Pearson's correlation, t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression, with a significance level of 95 % and a p-value threshold of <0.05. Results: The study involved 147 participants. Most respondents were male (76.2 %), and most were aged 26-35 years (44.2 %). Approximately 51 % held a bachelor's degree, and the most common range of experience was 3-5 years (28.6 %). Participants showed a moderate level of knowledge regarding dose and protocol parameters, with a mean score of 61.8 %. The mean scores for knowledge of image quality and DRLs were 45.2 % and 44.8 %, respectively. The age group of the MIPs and the total experience were found to have a significant impact on the knowledge of the dose and protocol parameters, as well as the DRLs. Additionally, experience was found to have a significant influence on knowledge of the dose and protocol parameters. The study revealed a positive and significant effect of MIPs' knowledge of dose/protocol parameters and image quality on their knowledge of DRLs. Conclusions: This study indicates that professionals across five specialties who are engaged in PET/CT and CT imaging possess a moderate understanding of dosage and protocol parameters. However, there is a notable gap in knowledge regarding DRLs and image quality. To address this issue, it is recommended that MIPs actively engage in educational programs emphasizing exposure parameters and their impact on image quality. Additionally, access to comprehensive education and training programs will enable MIPs to grasp the complexities of DRLs and their implications, facilitating their implementation in clinical practice.

National and local diagnostic reference levels for adult18F-FDG and CT in Jordanian PET/CT: findings and implications in practice.

This study aims to report the findings of Jordanian national diagnostic reference level (NDRL) survey for fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) and local diagnostic reference level (LDRL) of computed tomography (CT) used for attenuation correction and anatomical localisation (AC-AL); and AC and diagnostic CT (AC-DX) within the context of whole-body WB and half-body HB adult oncology PET/CT scanning. Two-structured questionnaires were prepared to gather the necessary information: dosimetry data, patient demographics, equipment specification, and acquisition protocols for identified18F-FDG PET/CT procedures. The NDRL and achievable dose were reported based on the 75th and 50th percentiles for18F-FDG administered activity (AA), respectively. The LDRL was reported based on the 50th percentile for (CTDIvol) and (DLP). Data from 562 patients from four Jordanian PET/CT centres were collected. The survey revealed that Jordanian NDRL for AA (303 MBq) was within the acceptable range compared to the published-peer NDRL data (240-590 MBq). However, the18F-FDG AA varied across the participated PET/CT centres. The reported LDRL CTDIvoland DLP of CT used for (AC-AL) was 4.3 mGy and 459.3 mGy.cm for HB CT scan range, and 4.1 mGy and 659.9 mGy.cm for WB CT scans. The reported LDRL for CTDIvoland DLP for HB CT was higher when compared with the United Kingdom (3.2 mGy and 310 mGy.cm). Concurrently, in the context of WB CT, the reported values (i.e. CTDIvol and DLP) were also higher than both Kuwait (3.6 mGy and 659 mGy.cm) and Slovenia (3.6 mGy and 676 mGy.cm). The reported HB CT(AC-DX) was higher than Nordic, New Zealand and Swiss NDRLs and for WB (AC-DX) CT it was higher than Swiss NDRLs. This study reported the first Jordanian NDRL for18F-FDG and LDRL for HB and WB CT associated with18F-FDG PET/CT scans. This data is useful for Jordanian PET/CT centres to compare their LDRL to the suggested DRLs and utilise it in the process of optimising CT radiation doses.

Revising and exploring the variations in methodologies for establishing the diagnostic reference levels for paediatric PET/CT imaging.

PET-computed tomography (PET/CT) is a hybrid imaging technique that combines anatomical and functional information; to investigate primary cancers, stage tumours, and track treatment response in paediatric oncology patients. However, there is debate in the literature about whether PET/CT could increase the risk of cancer in children, as the machine is utilizing two types of radiation, and paediatric patients have faster cell division and longer life expectancy. Therefore, it is essential to minimize radiation exposure by justifying and optimizing PET/CT examinations and ensure an acceptable image quality. Establishing diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) is a crucial quantitative indicator and effective tool to optimize paediatric imaging procedures. This review aimed to distinguish and acknowledge variations among published DRLs for paediatric patients in PET/CT procedures. A search of relevant articles was conducted using databases, that is, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline, using the keywords: PET-computed tomography, computed tomography, PET, radiopharmaceutical, DRL, and their synonyms. Only English and full-text articles were included, with no limitations on the publication year. After the screening, four articles were selected, and the review reveals different DRL approaches for paediatric patients undergoing PET/CT, with primary variations observed in patient selection criteria, reporting of radiation dose values, and PET/CT equipment. The study suggests that future DRL methods for paediatric patients should prioritize data collection in accordance with international guidelines to better understand PET/CT dose discrepancies while also striving to optimize radiation doses without compromising the quality of PET/CT images.

Effectiveness of an educational module in improving knowledge, awareness and perception among pregnant women regarding the safe use of prenatal ultrasound.

Background: Lack of public understanding, perception and awareness of the biological effects of prenatal ultrasound has led to the non-medical use of ultrasound. An educational programme is required to enlighten pregnant women and the public regarding prenatal ultrasound safety. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of educational modules (video and brochure) in improving knowledge, awareness and perception (KAP) among pregnant women regarding prenatal ultrasound safety. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-and post-test design. This study recruited 51 pregnant women as respondents from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinic (O&G) of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM). The first phase of the study was conducted by distributing a set of closed-ended questionnaires with multiple choice and Likert scale answers to assess the KAP of pregnant women regarding the safe use of prenatal ultrasound, followed by educational modules where the respondents were allocated into three groups (17 watched a video, 17 received brochure and 17 received combined media). After the intervention, the respondents' KAP were assessed using the same questionnaire. Results: The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed that educational modules like video, brochure and combined media had a statistically significant increase in post-test scores over the pre-test scores (video: mean rank = 9.00, p < 0.05) (brochure: mean rank = 9.79,p < 0.05) and (combined media: mean rank = 10.17, p > 0.05). The Kruskal Wallis test indicated that educational video was more effective in improving the KAP of pregnant women than the brochure and combined media (mean rank = 34.62, p < 0.05). Among the parameters, the occupation has the strongest positive correlation with the post-test knowledge score in improving the KAP of pregnant women regarding the safe use of prenatal ultrasound. Conclusion: The educational video is the most effective approach for enhancing pregnant women's KAP. The educational module on the safety of prenatal ultrasound is thought to dispel myths by providing accurate information to audiences from various backgrounds.

Reproducibility and Repeatability of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) Image Segmentation in Detecting Atherosclerosis: A Radiomics Study.

Atherosclerosis is known as the leading factor in heart disease with the highest mortality rate among the Malaysian population. Usually, the gold standard for diagnosing atherosclerosis is by using the coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) technique to look for plaque within the coronary artery. However, qualitative diagnosis for noncalcified atherosclerosis is vulnerable to false-positive diagnoses, as well as inconsistent reporting between observers. In this study, we assess the reproducibility and repeatability of segmenting atherosclerotic lesions manually and semiautomatically in CCTA images to identify the most appropriate CCTA image segmentation method for radiomics analysis to quantitatively extract the atherosclerotic lesion. Thirty (30) CCTA images were taken retrospectively from the radiology image database of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We extract 11,700 radiomics features which include the first-order, second-order and shape features from 180 times of image segmentation. The interest vessels were segmentized manually and semiautomatically using LIFEx (Version 7.0.15, Institut Curie, Orsay, France) software by two independent radiology experts, focusing on three main coronary blood vessels. As a result, manual segmentation with a soft-tissuewindowing setting yielded higher repeatability as compared to semiautomatic segmentation with a significant intraclass correlation coefficient (intra-CC) 0.961 for thefirst-order and shape features; intra-CC of 0.924 for thesecond-order features with p < 0.001. Meanwhile, the semiautomatic segmentation has higher reproducibility as compared to manual segmentation with significant interclass correlation coefficient (inter-CC) of 0.920 (first-order features) and a good interclass correlation coefficient of 0.839 for the second-order features with p < 0.001. The first-order, shape order and second-order features for both manual and semiautomatic segmentation have an excellent percentage of reproducibility and repeatability (intra-CC > 0.9). In conclusion, semi-automated segmentation is recommended for inter-observer study while manual segmentation with soft tissue-windowing can be used for single observer study.

Automated Classification of Atherosclerotic Radiomics Features in Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA).

Radiomics is the process of extracting useful quantitative features of high-dimensional data that allows for automated disease classification, including atherosclerotic disease. Hence, this study aimed to quantify and extract the radiomic features from Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) images and to evaluate the performance of automated machine learning (AutoML) model in classifying the atherosclerotic plaques. In total, 202 patients who underwent CCTA examination at Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) between September 2020 and May 2021 were selected as they met the inclusion criteria. Three primary coronary arteries were segmented on axial sectional images, yielding a total of 606 volume of interest (VOI). Subsequently, the first order, second order, and shape order of radiomic characteristics were extracted for each VOI. Model 1, Model 2, Model 3, and Model 4 were constructed using AutoML-based Tree-Pipeline Optimization Tools (TPOT). The heatmap confusion matrix, recall (sensitivity), precision (PPV), F1 score, accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and area under the curve (AUC) were analysed. Notably, Model 1 with the first-order features showed superior performance in classifying the normal coronary arteries (F1 score: 0.88; Inverse F1 score: 0.94), as well as in classifying the calcified (F1 score: 0.78; Inverse F1 score: 0.91) and mixed plaques (F1 score: 0.76; Inverse F1 score: 0.86). Moreover, Model 2 consisting of second-order features was proved useful, specifically in classifying the non-calcified plaques (F1 score: 0.63; Inverse F1 score: 0.92) which are a key point for prediction of cardiac events. Nevertheless, Model 3 comprising the shape-based features did not contribute to the classification of atherosclerotic plaques. Overall, TPOT shown promising capabilities in terms of finding the best pipeline and tailoring the model using CCTA-based radiomic datasets.

Association of Radiation Doses and Cancer Risks from CT Pulmonary Angiography Examinations in Relation to Body Diameter.

In this study, we aimed to estimate the probability of cancer risk induced by CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) examinations concerning effective body diameter. One hundred patients who underwent CTPA examinations were recruited as subjects from a single institution in Kuala Lumpur. Subjects were categorized based on their effective diameter size, where 19-25, 25-28, and >28 cm categorized as Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The mean value of the body diameter of the subjects was 26.82 ± 3.12 cm, with no significant differences found between male and female subjects. The risk of cancer in breast, lung, and liver organs was 0.009%, 0.007%, and 0.005% respectively. The volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDIvol) was underestimated, whereas the size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs) provided a more accurate description of the radiation dose and the risk of cancer. CTPA examinations are considered safe but it is essential to implement a protocol optimized following the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle.

Effectiveness of Post-Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) in Comparison with Conventional Autopsy: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: With the advancement of technology, Computed Tomography (CT) scan imaging can be used to gain deeper insight into the cause of death. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the efficacy of Post- Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) scan compared with the conventional autopsies gleaned from literature published in English between the year 2009 and 2016. METHODOLOGY: A literature search was conducted on three databases, namely PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus. A total of 387 articles were retrieved, but only 21 studies were accepted after meeting the review criteria. Data, such as the number of victims, the number of radiologists and forensic pathologists involved, causes of death, and additional and missed diagnoses in PMCT scans were tabulated and analysed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Compared with the conventional autopsy, the accuracy of PMCT scans in detecting injuries and causes of death was observed to range between 20% and 80%. The analysis also showed that PMCT had more advantages in detecting fractures, fluid in airways, gas in internal organs, major hemorrhages, fatty liver, stones, and bullet fragments. Despite its benefits, PMCT could also miss certain important lesions in a certain region such as cardiovascular injuries and minor vascular injuries. CONCLUSION: This systematic review suggests that PMCT can replace most of the conventional autopsies in specific cases and is also a good complementary tool in most cases.

A comparison study of radiation effective dose in ECG-Gated Coronary CT Angiography and calcium scoring examinations performed with a dual-source CT scanner.

In this report we have evaluated radiation effective dose received by patients during ECG-gated CCTA examinations based on gender, heart rate, tube voltage protocol and body mass index (BMI). A total of 1,824 patients were retrospectively recruited (1,139 men and 685 women) and they were divided into Group 1 (CCTA with calcium scoring), Group 2 (CCTA without calcium scoring) and Group 3 (only calcium scoring), where the association between gender, heart rate, tube voltage protocol and body mass index (BMI) were analysed. Examinations were performed using a retrospective ECG-gated CCTA protocol and the effective doses were calculated from the dose length product with a conversion coefficient of 0.026 mSv.mGy-1cm-1. No significant differences were observed in the mean effective dose between gender in all groups. The mean estimated dose was significantly higher when the heart rate was lower in Group 1 (p < 0.001) and Group 2 (p = 0.002). There were also significant differences between the mean effective dose in tube voltage protocol and BMI among the three groups. The mean effective dose was positively correlated with BMI (p < 0.001), but inversely related to the heart rate. This study supported the theory that a high heart rate, low tube voltage and low BMI could significantly reduce radiation dose exposure.

Quantitative assessment on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) image quality: comparisons between genders and different tube voltage settings.

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to quantify and compare the quantitative image quality of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) between genders as well as between different tube voltages scan protocols. METHODS: Fifty-five cases of CCTA were collected retrospectively and all images including reformatted axial images at systolic and diastolic phases as well as images with curved multi planar reformation (cMPR) were obtained. Quantitative image quality including signal intensity, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCx) and left main artery (LM) were quantified using Analyze 12.0 software. RESULTS: Six hundred and fifty-seven coronary arteries were evaluated. There were no significant differences in any quantitative image quality parameters between genders. 100 kilovoltage peak (kVp) scanning protocol produced images with significantly higher signal intensity compared to 120 kVp scanning protocol (P<0.001) in all coronary arteries in all types of images. Higher SNR was also observed in 100 kVp scan protocol in all coronary arteries except in LCx where 120 kVp showed better SNR than 100 kVp. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in image quality of CCTA between genders and different tube voltages. Lower tube voltage (100 kVp) scanning protocol is recommended in clinical practice to reduce the radiation dose to patient.

Implications of Web of Science journal impact factor for scientific output evaluation in 16 institutions and investigators' opinion.

Journal based metrics is known not to be ideal for the measurement of the quality of individual researcher's scientific output. In the current report 16 contributors from Hong Kong SAR, India, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Belgium, France, Italy, UK, The Netherlands, Malaysia, and USA are invited. The following six questions were asked: (I) is Web of Sciences journal impact factor (IF) and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) citation the main academic output performance evaluation tool in your institution? and your country? (II) How does Google citation count in your institution? and your country? (III) If paper is published in a non-SCI journal but it is included in PubMed and searchable by Google scholar, how it is valued when compared with a paper published in a journal with an IF? (IV) Do you value to publish a piece of your work in a non-SCI journal as much as a paper published in a journal with an IF? (V) What is your personal view on the metric measurement of scientific output? (VI) Overall, do you think Web of Sciences journal IF is beneficial, or actually it is doing more harm? The results show that IF and ISI citation is heavily affecting the academic life in most of the institutions. Google citation and evaluation, while is being used and convenient and speedy, has not gain wide 'official' recognition as a tool for scientific output evaluation.

Cerebral CT angiography and CT perfusion in acute stroke detection: a systematic review of diagnostic value.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the diagnostic value of cerebral CT angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) examinations in the detection of acute stroke based on a systematic review of the current literature. The review was conducted based on searching of seven databases for articles published between 1993 and 2013. Diagnostic value in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy was analysed from 21 articles which were found to meet selection criteria. The mean sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy for CTA were significantly higher than those for CTP with 83.2% (95% CI: 57.9-100.0%), 95.0% (95% CI: 74.4-100%), 84.1% (95% CI: 50.0-100%), 97.1 (95% CI: 94.0-100%) and 94.0% (95% CI: 83.0-99.0) versus 69.9% (95% CI: 20.0-97.0%), 87.4 (95% CI: 61.0-100.0%), 76.4% (95% CI: 48.0-95.4%), 78.2% (95% CI: 55.8-93.9%) and 89.8% (95% CI: 75.7-97.1%), respectively. This analysis shows that CTA has high diagnostic value in detecting high degree of cerebral arterial stenosis (>70%) whereas CTP provides high specificity in the detection of ischemia and infarct tissue of brain.

Radiation dose associated with cerebral CT angiography and CT perfusion: an experimental phantom study.

A study on the radiation dose associated with cerebral CT angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) was conducted on an anthropomorphic phantom with the aim of estimating the effective dose (E) and entrance skin dose (ESD) in the eyes and thyroid gland during different CTA and CTP protocols. The E was calculated to be 0.61 and 0.28 mSv in CTA with 100 and 80 kV(p), respectively. In contrast, CTP resulted in an estimated E of 2.74 and 2.07 mSv corresponding to 40 and 30 s protocols, respectively. The eyes received a higher ESD than the thyroid gland in all of these protocols. The results of this study indicate that combining both CTA and CTP procedures are not recommended in the stroke evaluation due to high radiation dose. Application of modified techniques in CTA (80 kV(p)) and CTP (30 s) is highly recommended in clinical practice for further radiation dose reduction.

Radiation dose reduction in thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT using tube current modulation: a phantom study.

This phantom study was designed to compare the radiation dose in thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT scans with and without use of tube current modulation (TCM). Effective dose (ED) and size-specific dose estimation (SSDE) were calculated with the absorbed doses measured at selective radiosensitive organs using a thermoluminescence dosimeter-100 (TLD-100). When compared to protocols without TCM, the ED and SSDE were reduced significantly with use of TCM for both the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT. With use of TCM, the ED was 6.50 ± 0.29 mSv for thoracic and 6.01 ± 0.20 mSv for the abdomen-pelvic CT protocols. However without use of TCM, the ED was 20.07 ± 0.24 mSv and 17.30 ± 0.41 mSv for the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols, respectively. The corresponding SSDE was 10.18 ± 0.48 mGy and 11.96 ± 0.27 mGy for the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols with TCM, and 31.56 ± 0.43 mGy and 33.23 ± 0.05 mGy for thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols without TCM, respectively. The highest absorbed dose was measured at the breast with 8.58 ± 0.12 mGy in the TCM protocols and 51.52 ± 14.72 mGy in the protocols without TCM during thoracic CT. In the abdomen-pelvic CT, the absorbed dose was highest at the skin with 9.30 ± 1.28mGy and 29.99 ± 2.23 mGy in protocols with and without use of TCM, respectively. In conclusion, the TCM technique results in significant dose reduction; thus it is to be highly recommended in routine thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT.

Image quality assessment in panoramic dental radiography: a comparative study between conventional and digital systems.

This study is designed to compare and evaluate the diagnostic image quality of dental panoramic radiography between conventional and digital systems. Fifty-four panoramic images were collected and divided into three groups consisting of conventional, digital with and without post processing image. Each image was printed out and scored subjectively by two experienced dentists who were blinded to the exposure parameters and system protocols. The evaluation covers of anatomical coverage and structures, density and image contrast. The overall image quality score revealed that digital panoramic with post-processing scored the highest of 3.45±0.19, followed by digital panoramic system without post-processing and conventional panoramic system with corresponding scores of 3.33±0.33 and 2.06±0.40. In conclusion, images produced by digital panoramic system are better in diagnostic image quality than that from conventional panoramic system. Digital post-processing visualization can improve diagnostic quality significantly in terms of radiographic density and contrast.

Coronary computed tomography angiography with prospective electrocardiography triggering: a systematic review of image quality and radiation dose.

The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy, image quality and radiation dose of prospective electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We searched databases containing studies of CCTA that used prospective ECG-triggering between 2008 and 2011. The effective dose and image quality reported in each study were analysed and compared between the types of multislice CT scanners. We identified 23 studies through this search, with mean assessable coronary segments and effective dose at 96.8% (95% confidence level [CI] 83%, 100%) and 3.6 mSv (95% CI 2.9, 4.3 mSv), respectively. Both quantitative and qualitative assessments of image quality indicated that image quality was achieved in studies using prospective ECG-triggered CCTA, regardless of the type of CT scanners. The pooled estimates of diagnostic values were more than 90% for patient-, vessel- and segment-based assessments. Prospective ECG-triggered CCTA results in high diagnostic accuracy and image quality, with a significantly low radiation dose.

Coronary CT angiography: State of the art.

Coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography has been recognized as the most rapidly developed imaging technique in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease due to the emergence and technological advances in multislice CT scanners. Coronary CT angiography has been confirmed to demonstrate high diagnostic and predictive value in coronary artery disease when compared to invasive coronary angiography. However, it suffers from high radiation dose which raises concerns in the medical field. Various dose-reduction strategies have been proposed with effective outcomes having been achieved to reduce radiation exposure to patients. This article provides an introduction and overview of the series of articles that will focus on each particular topic related to coronary CT angiography.