Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A study released today found that Americans are being exposed to seven times as much radiation from medical procedures as they were in the early 1980s. The report claims that skyrocketing use of CT is a major factor behind increased radiation exposure in the U.S.
The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) of Bethesda, MD, said that CT contributed nearly half of the radiation dose Americans received from medical sources in 2006, with nuclear medicine making up just over a quarter of the dose, according to an article in our CT Digital Community by staff writer Eric Barnes.
The report has already sparked an outcry, with the American College of Radiology (ACR) of Reston, VA, using the publication to bash physician self-referral, which the ACR believes drives up imaging utilization -- and thus, radiation dose. Learn more about the report by clicking here, or visit the CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
Using more CT to find less pathology?
In other news, we're also featuring an article in the community that has some intriguing findings on CT use at one institution, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. MGH researchers tracked CT utilization over a decade and found that while CT procedure volume went up sharply, the rate of pathologic findings with the modality actually decreased over the same time period -- indicating that CT may be overused. The story is available by clicking here.
Finally, click here for a story on how Chinese radiologists used CT and ultrasound to find signs of pathology in infants who drank baby formula contaminated with melamine and other industrial chemicals. The story and much more are available in our CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
