ArticleEuropean radiology2026
Reduction of radiation exposure and preserved image quality using photon-counting detector cardiac computed tomography without electrocardiographic gating in children with congenital heart disease.
Article in European radiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Radiation dose and objective image quality of photon-counting detector computed tomography in pediatric imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Pediatric radiology · 2026Pooled it
- Next-gen paediatric imaging: ultra-low dose chest photon-counting CT approaching chest radiograph doses.European radiology experimental · 2026Article
- Coronary artery calcium scoring: expanding the new standard by photon-counting detector CT-Part I: Impact of tube voltage, tube current, slice thickness, and quantum iterative reconstructions.European radiology · 2026Article
- Contemporary strategies for dose optimization in pediatric congenital heart disease CT: size-specific acquisition and detector-level advances.Radiological physics and technology · 2026Review
- Reply to comment of clarifying radiation-dose trade-offs in photon-counting detector pediatric cardiac computed tomographic angiography: protocol standardization as the missing variable.Pediatric radiology · 2026Article
- Current State and Future Directions of Diagnostic Imaging and Interpretation in Pediatric Radiology.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Photon-Counting CT Enables Higher Image Quality at a Lower Radiation Dose Compared with a 256-Slice Energy-Integrating Detector CT in Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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13 authors.
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Abstract
objectivesTo evaluate the radiation exposure, quantitative, and qualitative image quality in pediatric cardiac CT by using photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD CT) versus energy-integrating detector CT (EID CT) in matched children. MATERIALS AND
methodsThirty-seven contrast-enhanced, clinically indicated cardiac CTs performed on PCD CT were matched with 37 examinations acquired by EID CT. The patients were matched according to water-equivalent diameters. Quantitative evaluation of image quality comprised a region of interest (ROI)-based analysis, calculating image noise, signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) ratio. Differences of the attenuation variation of the paraspinal and the pectoral muscles were calculated to measure beam hardening artifacts. Volume CT dose index (CTDI
resultsThe mean age of the children on PCD CT was 794 ± 1016 days, similar to the mean age of 815 ± 957 days of the children on EID CT (p = 0.76). Moreover, age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were also not significantly different between the two groups (p ≥ 0.32). Radiation exposure was significantly lower on PCD CT (CTDI
conclusionsWith a reduction in radiation exposure exceeding 40% by using PCD CT, image quality remained stable compared to EID CT. Reducing radiation with PCD CT while preserving image quality might substantially advance cardiac imaging in children. KEY POINTS: Question Children are particularly sensitive to radiation exposure, highlighting the need for dose reduction. Findings Radiation dosage can be significantly reduced while preserving image quality when using photon-counting detector (PCD) CT in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Clinical relevance Since radiation exposure can be significantly reduced by PCD CT compared to energy-integrating detector (EID) CT, while image quality was comparable, PCD CT is advisable for children with congenital heart disease.
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