Table 10 Section 6: Whole Body CT – Protocol, key issue 1: CT scout
Key question: What diagnostic value does the scout of a whole-body CT scan have in the case of a polytrauma patient and how should it be prepared? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Statement(s) | Cons | Grade | Cons |
6.1.1 | The scout(s) ought to represent the entire body | 100% strong | GoR B | 100% strong |
6.1.2 | For a dose-optimised protocol, separate topograms should be prepared for the cranial CT (at least lateral projection) and the rest of the body (at least anterior—posterior projection). If the arms are raised, this should be done before the body topogram is prepared | 100% strong | GPP A | 86% normal |
Literature: detected = 1195, excluded = 1168, full-text: rated = 27, excluded = 16, included = 11 (guideline: [19, 37, 59, 60]; level 2: [55]; level 3: [27, 29, 57, 61,62,63]) | ||||
Comments: The CT scout does not only hold information of important findings, it also is the basis to calculate the dose modulation during the CT scan. For protocols with elevated arms, a dose reduction only affects cases where the arms were raised before the CT scout was performed | ||||