Low dose pediatric cardiac CT. Principles and application

Since pediatric patients with complex heart disease undergoes a sequence of invasive angiography and interventions with radiation exposure, exposure reduction in CT is a requisite. Being the modality of highest exposure in the past, modern pediatric cardiac CT has become the modality of the lowest exposure, as low as the exposure of plain chest film. This paper explains the basic strategies to reduce the radiation exposure of pediatric cardiac CT, and also introduces the summary of published evidences and actual ultra-low dose CT images in the authors' institution. (author)