EDs and organ doses from 64-detector CT are higher than those previously reported for adult cardiac and pulmonary CT angiography protocols. Risk for breast and lung cancer induction from these studies is greatest for the younger patient population.

Radiation doses to the fetus from institutional MDCT protocols that may be used during pregnancy (for pulmonary embolus, appendicitis, and renal colic) are below the level thought to induce neurologic detriment to the fetus. Imaging the mother for appendicitis theoretically may double the fetal risk for developing a childhood cancer. Radiation doses to the fetus from pulmonary embolus chest CT angiography are of the same magnitude as ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scanning.

The recommendations presented in this guideline are based upon the currently available evidence; availability of new clinical research data and development and dissemination of new technologies will necessitate a revision and update.

Assessment of the size and function of the functional single ventricle (FSV) is a key element in the management of patients following the Fontan procedure. Measurement variability of ventricular mass, volume and ejection fraction between observers by echocardiography and CMR and their reproducibility between readers in these patients has not been described. From the 546 patients enrolled in the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study (mean age 11.9±3.4 years), 100 echocardiograms and 50 CMR studies were assessed for measurement reproducibility; 124 subjects with paired studies were selected for comparison between modalities. Inter-observer agreement for qualitative grading of ventricular function by echocardiography was modest for left ventricular (LV) morphology (kappa= 0.42) and weak for right ventricular (RV) morphology (kappa= Corresponding Author: Renee Margossian, MD, Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, Phone: 617 355-6429, Fax: 617 739-6282, renee.margossian@cardio.chboston.org. The authors state no conflicts of interest exist. Clintrials.gov#: NCT00132782Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAm J Cardiol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 August 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript 0.12). For quantitative assessment, high intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were found for echocardiographic inter-observer (LV= 0.87-0.92; RV= 0.82-0.85) agreement of systolic and diastolic volumes, respectively. In contrast, ICCs for LV and RV mass were moderate (LV= 0.78; RV= 0.72). The corresponding ICCs by CMR were high (LV= 0.96; RV= 0.85). Volumes by echocardiography averaged 70% of CMR values. Interobserver reproducibility of EF was similar for both modalities. Although the absolute mean difference between modalities for ejection fraction was small (<2%), 95% limits of agreement were wide. In conclusion, agreement between observers of qualitative FSV function by echocardiography is modest. Measurements of FSV volume by 2D echocardiography underestimate CMR measurements but their reproducibility is high. Echocardiographic and CMR measurements of FSV EF demonstrate similar interobserver reproducibility whereas measurements of FSV mass and LV diastolic volume are more reproducible by CMR. KeywordsFontan operation; echocardiography; cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; ventricular functionThe NHLBI-sponsored Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study was a prospective multicenter study designed to eva...

Relationships between reader search, recognition and acceptance, and overall lung nodule detection rate can be studied with eye tracking. Radiologists appear to actively search less than half of the lung parenchyma, with substantial interreader variation in volume searched, fraction of nodules included within the search volume, sensitivity for nodules within the search volume, and overall detection rate.

Objectives Although frailty has recently been examined in various populations as a predictor of morbidity and mortality, its effect on thoracic aortic surgery outcomes has not been studied. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the role of frailty in predicting postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing proximal aortic replacement surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was performed for all patients undergoing elective and nonelective proximal aortic operations (root, ascending aorta, and/or arch) at a single-referral institution from June 2005 to December 2012. A total of 581 patients underwent proximal aortic surgery, of whom 574 (98.8%) were included in the present analysis; 7 were excluded because of incomplete data. Frailty was evaluated using an index consisting of age > 70 years, body mass index < 18.5 kg/m2, anemia, history of stroke, hypoalbuminemia, and total psoas volume in the bottom quartile of the population. One point was given for each criterion met to determine a frailty score of 0 to 6. Frailty was defined as a score of ≥ 2. Risk models for length of stay > 14 days, discharge to other than home, 30-day composite major morbidity, 30-day composite major morbidity/mortality, and 30-day and 1-year mortality were calculated using multivariate regression modeling. Results Of the 574 patients, 148 (25.7%) were defined as frail (frailty score ≥ 2). The unadjusted 30-day/in-hospital and long-term outcomes were significantly worse for the frail versus nonfrail patients in all but 1 of the outcomes analyzed; no difference was found in the 30-day readmission rates between the 2 groups. In the multivariate model, a frailty score of ≥ 2 was associated with discharge to other than home and 30-day and 1-year mortality. Conclusions Frailty, as defined using a 6-component frailty index, can serve as an independent predictor of discharge disposition and early and late mortality risk in patients undergoing proximal aortic surgery. These frailty markers, all of which are easily assessed preoperatively, could provide valuable information for patient counseling and risk stratification before proximal aortic replacement.

The use of bismuth breast shields together with a lower kVp and automatic tube current modulation will reduce the absorbed radiation dose to the breast and lungs without degradation of image quality to the organs of the thorax for CTA detection of PE.

The recommendations presented in this guideline are based upon the currently available evidence; availability of new clinical research data and development and dissemination of new technologies will necessitate a revision and update.