Doctors Unaware a CT Scan has 100--250 times more radiation than an X-ray

[Guest guest]

A recent survey shows that most doctors do not know that CT scans have

100 to 250 times the radiation dose of a chest X-Ray. This item was

sent in the Red Flags Daily newsletter. A. Hotz

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http://www.medicalpost.com/mpcontent/article.jsp?content=20030520_0941

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Doctors have little more info than patients about CT scan safety

By Pippa Wysong

SAN DIEGO - Doctors aren't giving patients enough information about

the risks of getting a CT scan because they themselves don't know what

those risks are, according to an emergency room survey.

There is still uncertainty in the field of radiology as to just how

safe CT scans are.

" A lot of people believe it's in the range of cancer-causing

radiation. There are some who don't believe that, but there are some

who do, " said Dr. Forman from the division of emergency

medicine at Yale University school of medicine. He spoke at the recent

annual meeting here of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

In the U.S., what are dubbed " screening CTs " are becoming more popular

among healthy patients, said Dr. Forman.

" Patients are going to these studies, paying good money for them and

the gain is marginal at best. Some would argue it has no real health

benefits to the patient. And there is a genuine potential radiation

risk, " he said.

Inform patients

Patients should be informed of the potential risks, he said, in

presenting findings from a survey in which 45 emergency physicians

were asked what the risks and benefits to patients would be from an

abdominal-pelvic CT scan.

Ten (22%) responded that they do explain the risks and benefits to

patients. Only nine said they mentioned the radiation dose.

The physicians were asked how they would compare the radiation from a

CT to that of a typical chest X-ray. Three of the doctors said the

dose was either less than or equal to a chest X-ray. Twenty (44%) of

the doctors said the dose was greater than a chest X-ray, but less

than 10 times the dose.

Just over one-fifth of the doctors (22%) said the radiation dose from

a CT was more than 10 times that of an X-ray but less than 100 times

the dose.

Ten (22%) of the respondents were able to provide an accurate dose

comparison-that a CT scan is 100 to 250 times the dose of a chest

X-ray.

Two doctors thought the dose was considerably higher.

A typical CT dose " can be in the range of 13 milli-sieverts, which

represents the equivalent of several years of background radiation

dose, " Dr. Forman said.

" You can't educate the patients if the physicians who are ordering the

studies and the physicians who are performing the studies do not know

the risks themselves.

" That's the additional unfortunate finding, " he said.