CT-fluoroscopy: Tool or gimmick?

Recent advances in CT scanner technology and computer hardware have led to the development of CT fluoroscopy (CTF), which allows real-time acquisition and display of cross-sectional images (with a rate of up to 8 frames per s econd). Since the introduction of the first CT fluoroscopy scanner in 1993, a variety of these scanners have been installed world-wide and many report s on the clinical use of this device have appeared recently. However, use o f this new technology for the guidance of interventional radiologic procedu res, such as percutaneous biopsy and percutaneous drainage, is not uniforml y advocated by interventional. radiologists. Concerns have been reported re garding radiation exposure and outcome of the procedures when compared with sequential CT guidance or other alternative guiding modalities. This artic le is intended to present an overview of CTF technology, to summarize the r esults of published papers on various interventional applications and to re flect on its specific advantages and disadvantages.