Our department and the diagnostic equipments are completely digitalised.
Example: The most common examination at our department is the x-ray of the left hand which gives us a general information about the growth, development and about the expected maximum height of the patient likewise the changes in the bone and cartilage structure.
The patients are protected to the maximum from radiation exposure. With digitalisation the radiation exposure is kept at the minimum.
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What do we do?
The following examinations are performed at the department of paediatric radiology:
1. Conventional X-rays
2. Ultrasonography
Example: Ultrasound examination of the thyroid glands. The radiologist places the ultrasound transducer in the neck region over the thyroid glands and the parenchymal structure of the thyroid likewise the surrounding anatomical structures are evaluated and documented digitally. Then the size and volume of the thyroid gland is measured and correlated with age. The ultrasound examination has no side affects, no radiation and causes no pain. For examination of the abdomen the child must be fasting (empty stomach) and in case of examination of the kidneys and pelvic region the child must drink to fill up the urinary bladder which help in better visualisation of the anatomical structures.
Renal screening in new born babies
The frequency of renal diseases requiring therapy lies at about 1% which means that in 1 in every 100 infants an abnormal finding in the kidneys can be expected. If this is missed or diagnosed very late it could lead to, for example in certain cases, narrowing of the urethra, destruction of the kidneys and dialysis right at the age of 4 to 5 years. There are about 45,000 people in whole of Germany who are able to lead a somewhat normal life only with the help of so called dialysis therapy because there are too less donors.
3. Magnet resonance imaging (MRI)
Example: MRI examination of the abdomen: At the moment such examination takes about 30 minutes where the child is placed in the centre of magnet tube. Due to the long duration of the examination infants and uncooperative children require sedation or sometimes general anaethesia. The examination is started in the presence of parents as soon as the patient is calm, still and ready or in case of sedation or anaesthesia in the presence of an anaesthetist. The parents can bring along child's favourite soft toy (but without metal) which helps in comforting the child. The MRI has almost no side affects (cardiac pace makers are rarely found in children) especially no radiation exposure.
4. Computer tomography (CT)
Example: Examination of a paediatric lung - Depending on the indication CT examination of the whole body can be performed in either multi-slice or spiral technique without or without breath hold technique. With the latest generation CTs the examination takes about 8 seconds. The accuracy likewise the visualisation is many times better if the child or adolescent can hold his or her breath during the examination which also leads to accurate and better diagnosis. The CT is associated with radiation exposure which is a lot higher than conventional x-ray. Hence one has to plan the examination so that the radiation dose corresponds to the height and weight of the child and the organ to be examined. Therefore, the clinical history and indication for the type of examination should be clearly mentioned by the referring physicians.
Document Date: 2005/08/28 Author: unknown
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