Are CT Scans a Public Health Time Bomb?

The Computed Tomographic Scan (CT Scan) hasdisease, trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.
been the darling of diagnostics for Internal MedicineA New England Journal of Medicine study concluded
since its introduction. Conditions that once required anthat one third of all CT scans (20 million a year in
invasive procedure such as a laparoscopy foradults and 1 million in children) do not meet medical
diagnosis could now be diagnosed from a seeminglyneed criteria. Experts in the field indicate that physicians
innocuous scan. The CT was non-invasive, fast, andover prescribe the use of CT scans when they
painless and considered completely safe. CT scanssuccumb to the pressure of their patients and the
have become very routine and accessible in theneed to practice defensive medicine. Educating the
medical community. However recent research ispublic on the inherent risks of CT scans and providing
proving that there is a downside for all thisphysicians a safe harbor from medical malpractice by
convenience and clinicians must educate their patientsusing best practice standards may keep CT scan
on the risk of any radiation exposure to reduce theinduced cancers in check.
incidence of future cancers.The CT scanner capacity worries health care
Research published this week in the Archives ofreformists. The adage, "if you build it they will
Internal Medicine estimate that 29,000 futurecome” is true with expensive capital
malignancies could occur in the United States becauseinvestment in medical diagnostic tools. CT scanners
of CT scans performed in 2007 alone. 72 million CTare expensive outlays for hospitals and clinics. Similar
scans were done in 2007. These studies indicate thatconcerns have been directed toward MRI scanners.
there is far more radiation in medical CT scans thanSee my blog— MRI Capacity Leads to Unnecessary
previously thought. The authors of the recent studiesBack Surgery. The number of MRI scanners in a
on CT scans and cancer believe the most commongeographical area increased from 7.6 machines per 1
radiation-created cancers will be lung and colon cancermillion people in 2000 to 26.6 machines per million in
and leukemia.2005. During the same time period the surgery rate for
The number of scans has risen from 3 million to nearlylower back surgery statistically increased in correlation
70 million annually in the last 30 years. CT tests haveto the increase in scan availability. The conclusion is
tripled since only 1993. Medicine has always adhered tothat excess capacity increases procedures.
the principle that the benefit of a procedure or therapyThere are great benefits to CT scans, but they come
should outweigh the risk. These recent studies indicatewith some risks. CT scans produce higher doses of
that the accessibility and ease of testing in the pastradiation than x-rays and researchers are only now
decade has eroded some of the benefit.discovering that the dose is even higher than
CT scans or CAT scanning is a non-invasive medicalpreviously thought. On an individual basis the risks of a
treatment that helps physicians diagnose and treatCT scan is small. If your physician ordered scan is
medical conditions. This procedure combines specialclinically justified then the benefits of the scan far
x-ray equipment and computers to produce multipleoutweigh the risks. Be an informed health care
images of the inside of the body. Theseconsumer (use iTriageHealth.com) and know what
cross-sectional images of the area are then studied onyour options are before putting yourself at
a computer monitor or printed. CT scans aid in theunnecessary risk.
diagnosis of cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious