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Sensitivity Reduced on Low-Dose Pediatric CT Scans for Small Lung Nodules

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 21, 2024.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, Oct. 21, 2024 -- Two lung-nodule computer-aided detection (CAD) systems demonstrated reduced sensitivity on low- versus standard-dose computed tomography (CT) scans for small nodules in pediatric patients, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Russell C. Hardie, Ph.D., from the University of Dayton in Ohio, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 73 patients (mean age, 14.7 years) who underwent clinical standard-dose and investigational low-dose chest CT examinations within the same encounter. Two publicly available lung-nodule CAD systems that had been trained using adult data -- FlyerScan and Medical Open Network for Artificial Intelligence (MONAI) -- were used to process both CT scans. The sensitivities for 247 nodules measuring 3 to 30 mm were calculated when operating at a fixed frequency of two false-positives per scan.

The researchers found that the detection sensitivities were 76.9 and 66.8 percent on standard-dose and low-dose scans for FlyerScan, respectively, and 67.6 and 62.3 percent, respectively, for MONAI. For standard- versus low-dose scans, the number of detected nodules was 33 versus 24 (FlyerScan) and 16 versus 13 (MONAI) for 3-mm nodules; 46 versus 42 (FlyerScan) and 39 versus 30 (MONAI) for 4-mm nodules; 38 versus 33 (FlyerScan) and 32 versus 31 (MONAI) for 5-mm nodules; and 27 versus 20 (FlyerScan) and 24 versus 24 (MONAI) for 6-mm nodules. Detection did not show a consistent pattern between standard- and low-dose scans for either system for nodules measuring ≥7 mm.

"The findings indicate the need for caution when using low-dose protocols in combination with CAD systems to help detect small lung nodules in pediatric patients," the authors write.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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