Low-Exposure and High-Speed Scanning of a Pediatric Cancer Patient Using 320-Row Area Detector CT

Computed tomography (CT) is a common diagnostic imaging technique. In plastic and reconstructive surgery, preoperative CT is used to identify the positions of vessels accurately, and this is especially useful in supermicrosurgery requiring anastomosis of capillary vessels. However, CT is difficult to perform for pediatric patients due to X-ray exposure and the need for administration of sedative agents. These problems have been partly resolved by shortening of the scanning time with development of multi-detector CT (MDCT) and the introduction of 320-row area detector CT (ADCT) in 2008. In this study, we describe a case of pediatric malignant rhabdoid tumor in which we diagnosed the tumor invasion and planned the anastomosis of vessels using head scanning with ADCT. Using this case as an example, we also discuss the importance of development of ADCT for health professionals and patients.