What we do
About our project
The 4-year RHYTHM project aims to improve the quality and radiation safety of medical imaging for children, adolescents, and young adults, with a particular focus on CT, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and CT as part of radiotherapy planning. Recognising the sensitivity of this population to ionising radiation and the critical need for optimised imaging practices, RHYTHM targets key challenges in justification, optimisation, availability, and accessibility of imaging services. These challenges include inappropriate imaging practices, disparities in access to dedicated paediatric imaging equipment, and insufficient education and outreach to healthcare professionals and patients.
RHYTHM aims to address these issues through an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, involving stakeholders from healthcare, industry, regulatory bodies, and patient advocacy groups.
RHYTHM’s objectives will be achieved by:
- Improving justification and optimisation practices, incl. the development of evidence-based recommendations for referral guidelines, clinical guidelines, and clinical decision support systems
- Facilitating accessibility to dedicated imaging equipment and services, incl. the development of optimized imaging protocols tailored to paediatric and young adult needs
- Advancing education and training curricula and materials tailored to multidisciplinary professional groups to enhance capacity building
- Implementing outreach campaigns to raise awareness about imaging safety and the benefits of optimised practices among parents, young adults, and healthcare providers
Additionally, RHYTHM aims to develop a European CT dose and image repository, a novel tool adopting a dual approach to improve paediatric imaging practices. This repository will:
- Establish Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) tailored to diagnostic CT clinical indications.
- Enable direct comparisons of scanner protocols, dose indices, and image quality across institutions using the same CT scanner models.
Our research focus
Our research focuses on guidelines for dose and image quality optimisation in diagnostic CT and hybrid CT, and development of acquisition protocols. Moreover, Erasmus MC contributes to the development of a European dose and image repository as a tool for optimisation of paediatric diagnostic CT exams.
Funds & Grants
RHYTHM is co-funded under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027 under grant agreement no. 101232948. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Total Funding: € 3,720,750.70
Collaborations
Our team
- P. Ciet, MD, PhD
- M.H.G. Dremmen, MD
- N.D. Hagen, MSc
- M. van Straten, PhD
- S.E.M. Veldhuijzen van Zanten, MD, PhD
