Why too Many CT and MRI Scans can be Hazardous for Patients
CT and MRI scans are the more advanced imaging scan options that doctors use nowadays. It has become a common practice to diagnose patients complaining of pain. Doctors conduct these CT and MRI tests to figure out what causes the pain and once the results are out, the exact nature of the abnormalities can be judged and treated accordingly.
These scans are considered quite sensitive in nature and often, the findings are incidental. In most cases, these scans may not even reveal the true cause and nature of the symptoms. And when this happens, doctors do conduct more invasive tests on their patients to know more about their illness. This then leads to serious side effects for the patients.
Patients who undergo a large number of CT and MRI scans get exposed to the harmful effects of radiation. Not only this, when these scans lead to biopsies, the patients are further exposed to greater risks such as bleeding and other complications.
Image Credit: credihealth.com
One CT scan exposes a patient to around 150 to 1,100 times the radiation as compared to one traditional x-ray. This is also almost equivalent to one year’s of exposure to radiation from natural as well as artificial sources found in the environment.
Numerous studies conducted in the last decade have raised some important concerns with respect to the dangerous side effects of these scans. At National Cancer Institute, researchers have estimated around 29,000 future cases for cancer that have been attributed to 72 million CT scans conducted in America in 2007. This increase has been found equivalent to almost 2 percent of the total cancer cases found around the globe, i.e. 1.7 million cases.
When compared to adults, children have been found to be more sensitive-prone to scan radiation. This is due to the fact that their life expectancies are longer than that of the adults, and also because their cells divide much faster thereby making their DNA more prone to damage. Hence, the chances of a child developing a catastrophic cancer from a CT scan are seen to be as high as one in five hundred.
There are medical conditions where CT scans are extremely required. These conditions may vary from serious head injuries to severe internal bleeding or internal haemorrhage to formation of cancerous mass. If your doctor schedules a CT or an MRI scan for you or your child, make sure you ask for an electronic copy or a hardcopy of that scan. This will help you avoid any future scans in case you wish to change your doctor. Some research on your part may also come in handy. For instance,you can ask your doctor or the technologist to set the scan machine on pediatric-suitable settings for your child.
If you are residing in Delhi-NCR and looking for the best MRI scan service providers, you can visit the Credihealth website and search from among a large number of hospitals and centers. You should not compromise on the services you need and Credihealth can effortlessly help you find the best MRI center in Delhi and other places in the country.
Author Bio
Simi Ahuja , who is working with the institution which provides health care & medical treatments and have gathered lots of information about the doctors , hospitals & related things in Delhi-NCR . In this article , she has written for what reason too many CT and MRI scans is very hazardous for patients .
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Very nice post. Thank for giving such a informative information. Thank you so much.
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