How to build a Pediatric/ Congenital joint CMR and CT program at your institution Webinar-How to build a Pediatric/ Congenital joint CMR and CT program at your institution

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, hosted by Supriya Jain and colleagues from SCMR/SCCT, focused on how to build a joint cardiac MRI (CMR) and CT program for congenital heart disease. The panel emphasized that CT and MRI are complementary, not competing, tools, and that the best modality should be chosen based on the clinical question and patient risk.<br /><br />Dr. Cynthia Rigsby reviewed the evolution of CT from slow, low-resolution scanners to modern dual-source and photon-counting systems with submillisecond temporal resolution and very low radiation doses. She highlighted gating strategies, dose reduction, contrast planning, and the importance of 3D post-processing. Dr. Kelly Hahn stressed that, in many patients, CT may be safer than MRI because it avoids anesthesia risk, can be done quickly in unstable or very young patients, and may reduce total diagnostic risk. Lorna Manganaro and others discussed practical workflow issues, including sedation, heart rate control, and the value of child life support and parent preparation.<br /><br />A major theme was training: both cardiologists and radiologists have gaps in CT education, so observerships, mentorship, physicist support, and well-trained technologists are essential. The speakers also addressed collaboration, billing, and reporting, recommending shared leadership, joint interpretation, and institutional buy-in. Overall, the panel concluded that successful multimodality programs are patient-centered, collaborative, and built around education, quality, and appropriate use.

Keywords

congenital heart disease

cardiac MRI

cardiac CT

multimodality imaging

dual-source CT

photon-counting CT

radiation dose reduction

sedation and anesthesia risk

clinical workflow and training