title: [Application of prospective ECG-triggering dual-source CT angiography in infants and children with congenital heart disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the application of prospective ECG-triggering dual-source CT (DSCT) angiography in infants and children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) compared with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven patients (mean age: 28 months, range 3 months to 6 years; male 46; mean weight: 15 kg) underwent prospective ECG-triggering DSCT angiography and TTE. Surgery was performed in 54 patients. The overall imaging quality was evaluated on a four-point scale. Inter-observer agreement in subjective image quality grading was assessed by kappa statistics. The accuracy of DSCT angiography and TTE was calculated based on the surgery findings in the 54 patients who were performed with surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 267 cardiovascular deformities were diagnosed by DSCT angiography, and 231 deformities were diagnosed by TTE. There was a good agreement on overall image quality (kappa = 0.78). A total of 173 cardiovascular deformities were confirmed by surgery findings in 54 patients. The accuracy of DSCT angiography and TTE was 97.69% (169/173) and 82.08% (142/173). The mean effective dose was (0.40 ± 0.08) mSv.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prospective ECG-triggering DSCT angiography with a very low effective radiation dose allows the accurate diagnosis of anomalies in infants and children with complex CHD compared with TTE. It has great value for preoperative assessment of CHD.
authors.affiliation: Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Medical School of Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China.
authors.forename: Yan-hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Xi-ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhao-ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Da-wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Le-bin
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D055424:Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods