title: Preoperative assessment of the aortic arch in children younger than 1 year with congenital heart disease: utility of low-dose high-pitch dual-source computed tomography. A single-centre, retrospective analysis of 62 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility, image quality and impact of 3D imaging in low-dose high-pitch dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) to assess arbitrary anatomical malformations of the aortic arch in children <1 year of age with congenital heart disease (CHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2010 and May 2013, DSCT was performed to assess the aortic arch anatomy in a total of 62 consecutive patients with CHD (aged 0-348 days). DSCT was used whenever conventional echocardiography was not sufficient to display the complex anatomy entirely. Image data acquisition was realized within a single cardiac cycle using prospective ECG triggering. 3D reconstruction for surgical planning was performed. Image quality was assessed retrospectively, using a 4-point scale from '1 = no artefacts' to '4 = uninterpretable'. The accuracy and impact of the 3D reconstructions was compared with intraoperative findings using a 5-point scale (from '1 = essential' to '5 = misleading'). Administered radiation exposure was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Imaging was successful in all patients, image quality was rated 1.34 on the 4-point scale and the impact of the 3D reconstructions for surgical planning was 2.05 on the 5-point scale. Mean dose-length product was 6.8 ± 2.6 mGy cm, and the effective dose was 0.45 ± 0.13 mSv (0.21-0.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DSCT is a fast and appropriate imaging modality in the preoperative assessment of the aortic arch for surgical planning in CHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany martin.gloeckler@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glöckler
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halbfaß
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dittrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Achenbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Congenital Heart Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rüffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Congenital Heart Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ihlenburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Congenital Heart Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cesnjevar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uder
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rompel
mesh_terms: D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
keywords: 3D imaging; Complex vascular anatomy; Computed tomography; Low radiation; Newborn