Siemens Healthineers Korea and a domestic research team from Asan Medical Center have teamed up to develop an innovative cardiac CT imaging technique for children that allows them to breathe naturally during the process.
According to Siemens, current cardiac CT imaging techniques such as the retrospective ECG gating technique and the ECG triggering technique have limitations for pediatric patients. The former, used in adult cardiac CTs, has high radiation exposure not safe for children, while the latter, which has a relatively low radiation dose, is not suitable because of the long examination time and blurring images upon breathing activity.
The new CT imaging technique allows infants and children who have trouble holding their breath to breathe naturally while allowing physicians to obtain high-quality, accurate images.
"We hope the new imaging technique will improve the accuracy of cardiac function assessment and patient safety. It will also lead to an accurate anatomical diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in pediatric patients,” said Professor Koo Hyun-woo from AMC’s Department of Radiology who led the study.
The results could also be used in evaluating lung function as it is possible to accurately know the status of the lung through the natural breathing of pediatric patients, Koo added.
According to Siemens, the study results are receiving high evaluation internationally since it also eliminates the necessity of general anesthesia, which damages the neural development of children, and does not require excessive sedation to control breathing activity.
Professor Koo and his research team analyzed 870 CT scans of children under five for six years starting in 2010. They conducted the study as part of research collaboration with Siemens Healthineers that began in 2009. Siemens developed and provided a precise control device used for heartbeat and breathing information for the research.
It is the first CT imaging technique to capture images in tempo with the patient’s heart rate and breathing rate while maintaining high-quality regardless of breathing activity. The method also ensures safety for pediatric patients due to the low radiation exposure, Siemens said.
The case of the first successful execution in the clinical setting will appear in the July issue of the Pediatric Radiology.
"We will continue research and development to provide innovative products and solutions, and contribute to the development of domestic medical technology,” said Siemens Healthineers Korea’s CEO Lee Myung-gyun.