Mini Thoracic CT Adequately Determines Haller Index and Decreases Radiation Exposure in Children with Pectus Excavatum
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Read the article on jpedsurg.org ↗Article · Jan 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This study demonstrates that a targeted mini-thoracic CT protocol using a radio-opaque marker to scan only 6 cm of chest wall can accurately calculate Haller index for pectus excavatum while reducing radiation exposure by 64% compared to standard low-dose chest CT in pediatric patients.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Introduction
The preoperative assessment of Pectus Excavatum (PE) is resource intensive. CT chest for the purpose of calculating a Haller index (HI) remains a central component and is necessary for third-party reimbursment for surgical correction. With the goal of minimizing radiation exposure, a strategy was introduced to perform a mini-Thoracic CT (mini-CT) for the calculation of HI.
Operative Technique
The mini-CT was performed as follows: a radio-opaque marker (ROM) was placed at the clinical deepest point of the deformity. The CT was then columnated to scan 3 cm above and 3 cm below the ROM. HI was calculated according to previously described technique. Seven children with PE who underwent mini-CT were age and weight matched to 7 children with PE who underwent standard low dose CT chest during the same time period. Radiation doses were evaluated using dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (mSv) between the two groups. Significance of differences was determined using the students t test.
The DLP of mini-CT compared to chest-CT was 17.9 vs 48.9,mGycm respectively. (p< 0.001) The mSv of the mini-CT compared to chest-CT was 0.32 vs 0.88, sMV respectively. (p