SCOTSH-CTCA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Scan Optimisation of Single Heartbeat Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography
IRAS ID
299267
Contact name
Andrew Shah
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Any exposure to ionising radiation carries a risk of cancer induction after several years or decades. All exposures to radiation must legally be optimised with an aim to use the lowest amount of radiation possible to answer a specific clinical question.
Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTCA) is a front line test for coronary artery disease which uses radiation to take pictures of the heart. The latest generation of single heartbeat acquisition CT scanners are still relatively new to clinical practice and offer a wide range of tools to produce diagnostic images for all patients whist keeping radiation dose as low as possible. These scanners make use of state of the art technology to acquire diagnostic scans at a lower radiation dose than ever before, but only if they are used appropriately.
This study will review radiation dose, image quality and scan acquisition settings for large groups of patients undergoing CTCA as part of standard of care imaging. The study will aim to optimise CTCA scans on three state of the art scanners from different manufacturers which are capable of single heart beat acquisition. Following each audit, recommendations to incrementally reduce radiation dose will be reviewed with a medical physics expert, radiographers, radiologists and cardiologists as part of a multi-disciplinary image optimisation team before any protocol changes are made.
Image quality will be reviewed continually with radiologists and cardiologists reporting the images. Measurements will be also performed using scans of an artificial chest.
Several audit and review cycles will take place on each of the scanners included in this study before a final scan protocol is established. Patients will be recruited at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals NHS Trust and West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and will receive scans as part of normal standard of care.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0243
Date of REC Opinion
14 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion