An optimized imaging protocol for orofacial cleft patients.

The objective was to present an optimized imaging protocol for orofacial cleft (OFC) patients, which might be used as an international recommendation for OFC care programs. The present radiological protocol has been structured by the OFC team of the University Hospitals Leuven based on a combined approach of clinical experience and scientific evidence. The development was based on careful monitoring of the existing needs for radiological diagnosis by the involved disciplines. Needs were revised by expert consensus and radiological optimization. Effective doses were converted to panoramic equivalents (professional conversion) and background radiation (patient conversion). At the age of 6, a panoramic radiograph is taken for the evaluation of dental anomalies. For the preoperative planning of secondary alveolar bone, grafting a low-resolution cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) of a limited field of the maxilla is taken at the age of 7 to 9. At the age of 10, 15, and 20, a low-resolution CBCT of both jaws with the smallest possible field is taken serving as conventional, presurgical, and end of treatment records, respectively. Two-dimensional images are reconstructed out of 3D ones. There are currently no international guidelines concerning the imaging protocol for OFC patients. It is clear that a multidisciplinary approach plays a key role in radiation hygiene. In this article, we presented an optimized imaging protocol for OFC patients based on European guidelines to accomplish the concepts of justification and optimization, which might be used as an international recommendation for OFC care programs.