Reducing Radiation in CT Scans for Kids

One of the biggest concerns that any patient has when it comes to the ues of medical imaging to prevent disease is that some types of imaging expose the patient to radiation. Doctors do all that they can to limit and monitor the use of radiation in medical imaging so that it remains at safe levels and doesn't cause harm to the patient. This means that doctors are regularly trying to scale back on the amount of radiation that they use while stil finding ways to improve the results of imaging for patients. One set of patients where this concern is greatest is with children. Nobody wants to expose their child to radiation unnecessarily. Unfortunately, medical imaging is sometimes necessary for young patients. Luckily, doctors have been successful in reducing the amount of radiation exposure that kids undergoing certain types of scans will experience. For example, a new study has found that a large number of radiologists have significantly reduced the amount of radiation exposure in CT scans just in the past seven years. It was found in the past that total body CT scans of kids were being conducted at radiation rates set for results and that this wasn't necessary to get the best results for the patient. Since that time, radiologists have adjusted to using lower power settings for total body CT scans on children. Question of the Day: Has concern about radiation ever caused you to choose not to get an important medical imaging exam?