Taking care of young patients
CT is instrumental in diagnosing illness and injury in children. However, because children are more sensitive to radiation than adults, radiation-free MRI has been the preferred modality. Additionally, long scans often require sedation, as children cannot remain still for the length of the exam. Sedation adds risk, effort, and costs. The goal is to acquire the images necessary for diagnosis without sedation and with as low as possible radiation dose. Enter photon-counting CT.
NAEOTOM Alpha photon-counting CT in pediatrics can help take care of young patients. It provides clinical images with high resolution in a short time, reduces the need for sedation, and offers dose-lowering features that protect young patients from unnecessary radiation exposure.
High level of detail in a temporal bone image of a one-year-old acquired with Quantum HD Technology.
Courtesy of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Minneapolis, USA
Lower dose, brilliant images
Faster scans, less sedation
Children have special needs in diagnostic imaging, especially regarding holding still during exams. Until recently, both CT and MRI commonly required sedation or anesthesia for most pediatric patient groups. NAEOTOM Alpha, with its groundbreaking combination of of Dual Source technology and Quantum Technology®, has now enabled faster imaging without compromising image quality in pediatric CT scans.
The enhanced scan speed of photon-counting CT is up to 74 cm/s and enables the acquisition of high-quality images in a few seconds, reducing the need for sedation in pediatric patients who cannot remain still during conventional CT scans. At top-ranked St. Louis Children’s Hospital, they reported that in 2023 with NAEOTOM Alpha 96.5% of the pediatric patients could be scanned without any sedation.1
Ultra-high resolution, full dose efficiency
Optimizing the exposure of children to radiation has been a longstanding objective in pediatric imaging, based on the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle. In the past, ultra-high-resolution imaging has resulted in increased radiation doses and has not been the preferred method of choice for pediatric patients. Now, photon-counting CT has the potential to achieve Quantum HD images that clearly reveal relevant anatomical structures at lower radiation doses than EID CT scanners.
NAEOTOM Alpha includes dose reduction features such as 70 kV imaging and Tin Filter. Recent study of Cao et. al from Duke University Medical Center, titled “Pediatric applications of photon-counting detector CT” highlights that “The improved CNR of photon-counting detector CT not only allows more judicious use of iodinated contrast material but can yield additional clinically useful information by preserving contrast information from low-energy photons.”2
No electronic noise, advanced image quality
In the past, image noise has been the trade-off for radiation dose reduction. Photon-counting CT detectors directly convert X-rays into electric charges, eliminating electronic noise and enabling better visualization of small structures and anatomical details. This can be especially beneficial in pediatric cases where precise imaging is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
Other photon-counting features like inherent spectral information in all exams are beneficial for providing material-specific imaging and functional information for these challenging patient groups.
Effective dose in children is three to five times greater than in adults at comparable exposure levels, and you have very sensitive tissues … in children who are growing. The younger the patient, the more is the potential risk from radiation.³
Missouri, USA
Treating kids like kids
Scientifically proven technology
Discover the full potential of the NAEOTOM Alpha photon-counting CT.