The Hidden Dangers of CT Scans

How many of you, my gentle readers, were sent by your "headache specialist" to have a CT (computerized tomography) scan done?

OK, now, how many of you had it before you even got to see the said specialist?

The way medical practitioners operate in this day and age, it's most likely quite a few, percentage-wise.

Dr. Michael Wilkes, M.D., a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, wrote an interesting piece about CT scans and how the "specialists" almost always request a CT scan before the doctor would see the patient.

The computerized tomography scan shows is considered very precise because it provides a doctor with detailed cross-sections of the body (like slices) by linking computer and X-ray machine. That might explain why "specialists" insist on it before actually examining a patient.

However, there are a couple of things that off-set it's value and practicality.

One - the technology is expensive. That means that a patient has to be able to afford a CT scan before being able to afford a visit to a "specialist".

Secondly - the radiation exposure of one CT scan of the chest equals about 400 chest x-rays – and much of this radiation exposes the breast and other vulnerable tissue.

According to Dr. Wilkes, "When overused, CT scans can lead to dangerous radiation exposure and cause cancer. Studies suggest that as few as five CT scans can cause radiation-induced cancer.

In the United States, 50 million CT studies are done each year, with many doctors never considering any of the dangerous effects of radiation."

The good doctor's advise is - "Ask the doctor if you really need the test. If you do, then get it, but if there is another, safer way to get the same information, it may be a better choice. And, be sure to ask that vital tissue be covered with a lead apron."

link: Inside Medicine: Too quick to order CT scans