Question
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Health Care
A CT scan packs a mega-dose of radiation - as much as 500 times that of a conventional X-ray.In the first study of its kind, physicians at hospitals in Florida and Washington, D.C., evaluated the medical-imaging records of 1,243 randomly selected patients to calculate just how much radiation each patient had sustained in the past five years.
Although CT scans were the biggest source of radiation, other offenders included X-rays and mammograms. The results of the study were disturbing: the average patient had received 45 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation. (The typical chest X-ray dispatches 0.02 mSv of radiation.) And 12% of patients had gotten more than twice that amount - 100 mSv or more. It is not innocuous.
Although CT scans were the biggest source of radiation, other offenders included X-rays and mammograms. The results of the study were disturbing: the average patient had received 45 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation. (The typical chest X-ray dispatches 0.02 mSv of radiation.) And 12% of patients had gotten more than twice that amount - 100 mSv or more. It is not innocuous.
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Answered I think CT Scans...
I think that if your doctor is sending you in for a CT scan then there is a problem that can not be identified by any other means. All other options have been used and yielded no results. If it takes the CT scan to properly diagnose the problem then so be it. Many life saving procedures go with high risk, even anesthesia. -
Answered I think CT Scans...
Hey, guess what? This is what I do for a living! C.T scans pack a lot more ionizing radiation than a conventional x-ray. TRUE, however, the amount of information gained, far outweighs the risk. Physicians should practice what is called "Radiographic Justification." This means they must decide if the radiation exposure is "justified" compared to the amount of information gained. Modern C.T. Scanners are termed SPIRAL scanners, so the beam on time is considerably less that scanners of say 5 years ago. If your doctor orders a ct.scan, please don't worry. The exposure is far outweighed.
Ask yourself these 3 questions.
1. Do I know of anyone who has died in an automobile accident?
If so, how many.
2. Do you know of anyone who has died due to smoking or alcohol?
If so, how many.
3. Do you know of anyone who has died of radiation exposure?
If so how many.
Diagnostic imaging is completely safe. Please trust me on this one.
Answered No. CT Scans are not bad for you.
i had 3 ct scans last month and a lots in the last years, and i'm still here.... if your doctor orders a ct scan it is more dangerous to deny it. i think