Clinical Case of the Month: Congenital Heart, Double Aortic Arch

December 7, 2009

According to the March of Dimes, congenital heart defects affect more than 25,000 infants every year in the United States.

Imaging children has many challenges due to their unique imaging requirements compared to adults. The best benchmark for a pediatric CT scanner should include the ability to acquire images as fast as possible, with the best image quality, and at the lowest possible x-ray dose.

Aquilion ONE can capture whole anatomical regions in a single rotation of the gantry. This ability can dramatically reduce the amount of contrast, radiation and possibly the need for sedation. Aquilion ONE also comes equipped with ^SUREExposure Pediatric which incorporates the unique imaging requirements of pediatric imaging and ensures the lowest possible dose while maintaining diagnostic image quality.

Case: CTA of the chest to evaluate congenital heart defect in a 9 month old infant with respiratory distress noted at birth.

Scan Parameters: 80kV, 25mAs, 0.35 second rotation.

3D volume rendered and MPR views clearly demonstrate this double aortic arch causing stenosis of the left main stem bronchus, most likely causing the infants continued respiratory distress. 3D images can give surgeons a roadmap for intervention, making it safer and saving time. No sedation was need for this scan due to the very short scan time of 0.35 seconds.