Associated Risks and Safety of CT Scans

Associated Risks and Safety of CT Scans

In general, CT scans are safe. The process is painless and takes a minimal amount of time. There is a slight chance that one may experience an allergic reaction from the contrast dye that is being used. Due to the underdevelopment in an unborn baby, pregnant women are not usually viable candidates for CT scans. The amount of radiation that a grown human being gets exposed to may cause harm to the baby. Although injury to a baby is unlikely, the risks associated with exposure may cause the attending doctor to prescribe a different test like an ultrasound. [3] Another risk associated with CT scans is the possibility of a patient having pre-existing allergies, kidney problems, or if they are under medication for diabetes; these may require making special arrangements for the particular patient. [1] Similarly, patients may experience some reactions to the contrast material. According to the Mayo Clinic [3], contrast material may, on rare occasions, cause reactions or medical complications. Such reactions mostly cause rashes and mild itchiness; adverse or life-threatening reactions to contract material are even more uncommon, and such information should be shared with the doctor if one ever experiences any such aftermath.

Patients may also get exposed to an amount of radiation, represented in timespans, equivalent to some months or a few years of natural radiation that a human is exposed to from the environment in a day, on average. Specialists carry the opinion that the risk of developing cancer in later life due to exposure during a radiological procedure is minimal, with the biggest chance ratio being less than one in 2000. [1] On the central information portal of the UK government, guidance on the typical effective doses (mSv) is available. Depending on the diagnostic procedure, the ‘equivalent period of natural background radiation varies from less than one and a half days for teeth, limbs, and joints (<0.01), excluding the hip; three days for chest (0.02), eleven days for the skull (0.07), two weeks equivalent in a case of the cervical spine(0.08), and about seven weeks for the hip (0.3) and four months equivalent exposure for radiological procedures involving the thoracic spine, pelvis, and abdomen (0.7). A radiological diagnostic procedure involving the lumbar spine (0.7 mSv) exposes the patient to approximately seven months of average background radiation; barium swallow (1.5 mSv) translates to eight months exposure, CT head (2 mSv) translates to 1 year, IVU (kidneys and bladder, 2.5 mSv) fourteen months, barium meal and follow (3 mSv) sixteen months, while barium enema and chest CT (7 and 8 mSv) expose the patient to 3.2 and 3.6 years radiation respectively. The abdominal and pelvic CT has the highest exposure(8 mSv), which equals four and a half years of radiation exposure. [2]

In conclusion, medical practitioners, including radiographers, are required to prioritize patient safety, and fully justify any radiological examination before it is given the go-ahead by the supervising authorities. Aside from using the lowest possible dose of radiation to conduct the test, newer and faster machines, as well as more effective techniques that do not require as much radiation.

[1] nhs.uk

[2] gov.uk

[3]mayoclinic.org