Purpose or Case Report: The objective is to describe the use of portable CT in neonatal , cardiac, and pediatric intensive care unit patients. Challenges of use, types of scans performed, and typical patients will be described.
Methods & Materials: The records were searched to determine the number of scans performed each month on the Neurologica Ceretom scanner. Types of patients are described along with the patient condition that precluded travel to the department. Also, we describe the technical challenges of performing the imaging in the unit setting, including patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Guidelines for which patients get a portable scan are also discussed.
Results: The scanner is an 8-slice scanner, and produces good scan quality. A task force of critical care physicians, radiologists, and CT technologists worked together to establish guidelines for determining which cases will most benefit from the use of the portable scanner. An assessment of the acuity of the patient will dictate whether the mobile unit is necessary. We can scan any body part of patients younger than 2, and head CTs on older patients. On average, 7 portable scans are done each month on patients with critical airways, those on ECMO, or too critical to leave the unit setting. The main difficulty is the initial setup of the scanner which requires two technologists and the cooperation of the unit staff.
Conclusions: Portable CT provides an excellent option for patients unable to travel to the CT department for a traditional scan. The use of the scanner does entail technical challenges in the setup of the gantry and requires two technologists and the unit staff assistance.