Learn Chinese - CT scan benefits outweigh risks for kids

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WORLD / Health

CT scan benefits outweigh risks for kids

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-17 15:35

NEW YORK?- The increased risk of cancer from the radiation used in a CT
scan is negligible compared with the benefits for children who need a
scan, according to investigators at Cincinnati's Hospital for Children in
Ohio.

They reviewed the medical literature on the subject and held discussions
with experts in the field, and report their conclusions in the journal
Pediatrics.

Their goal was to "provide pediatricians with information that will be
helpful in discussing with patients and families/caregivers the radiation
risks of CT examinations and the important clinical advantage of these
studies."

Dr Alan S. Brody told Reuters Health that his team found "no direct
connection between CT examinations and subsequent development of cancer."
They did find consensus on using radiation doses "as low as reasonably
achievable."

"Often more than one imaging modality can be used to evaluate a child,
Brody commented. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound do not
use ionizing radiation, he pointed out.

The radiologist has the responsibility to "adjust scanning techniques on
the basis of special considerations of pediatric patients," Brody and his
colleagues explain. The role of the pediatrician is to decide whether or
not a CT scan is necessary, and to discuss this with families.

In their summary, the Cincinnati team emphasizes that "there is wide
agreement that the benefits of an indicated CT scan far outweigh the
risks."

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