[ RadSafe ] CT scans dangerous?

[בריקנר דב]

I am not sure that ALARA does not apply to medical exposures. It is true
that justification considerations are limited (and the decision to perform a
CT exam is made on medical basis), but justification should be applied in
certain situations like a pregnant woman or repeated exams in children
("complex situations" as they are called in ICRP 60). Optimiztion should be
applied at the level of the imaging department or institution  (see ICRP 60
179-184).
The subject was discussed in Israel lately : Chodick G et al. Excess
lifetime cancer mortality risk attributable to radiation exposure from
pediatric computed tomography examinations . Israel Med Assn J 2007 ;
9:579-82 (paper written in English if anybody is interested I can try to get
a pdf copy) .
Dov Brickner        MD
Beer Sheva    ISRAEL


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of John Jacobus
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 4:09 AM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] CT scans dangerous?

Ward,
ALARA does not and should not apply to medical
exposures. ALARA principles are used to reduce the
risk of harmful effects associated with radiation
exposures.  In medicine, the patient is frequently
already at risk from harm due to disease or injury. 
Radiation, surgery, prescribed drugs, etc., all have
the potential to improve the patents' health and
quality of life.  

While physicians are probably not trained in the risks
of radiation exposure, drug interactions, etc. they
assume total responsibility for the patient under
their care.  


--- "Brunkow, Ward" <ward.brunkow at wipp.ws> wrote:

> 
> Good issue to bring up. I think the answer is as it
> has been for
> decades:
> >ALARA principal is not observed well within the
> medical community
> >Dr.s aren't trained well in radiation safety and
> therefore prescribe
> diagnostic use freely
> >I think the older CT scanners were giving 12 -20
> Rem  acute exposure at
> times, especially upper and lower GI
> >Not enough consideration given to rapidly dividing
> cells, young people
> >$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, money driven yet, not
> ethical to give
> someone this exposure if there isn't significant
> benefit, especially
> younger person, but have to keep those bucks coming
> in
> >Too much "cook book" diagnosis in medical community
> yet, diagnostic
> (therapeutic for that matter also) radiation
> exposure used too freely.
> The Prescribe and move on to the next one....
> premise....
> 
> 
> 
> W. G. (Ward) Brunkow
> DOE Contractor (former Medical School RSO)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
> Behalf Of Steven Dapra
> Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 7:42 PM
> To: radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] CT scans dangerous?
> 
> Oct. 29, 2007
> 
> 	This article from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel of
> Oct. 14 was
> published 
> in today's Albuquerque Journal.
> 
> 	The link 
> is: 
>
http://gr.acr.org/acr?action=viewNewsArticle&documentId=2c9e4f69159c076a
> 01159e51df09009d. 
> This is the website of the American College of
> Radiology.  (The article 
> didn't seem to be available on the SFS-S website.)
> 
> 	According to the article, the ECRI Institute "an
> independent
> research 
> group, estimates that CT scans cause 6,000 cases of
> cancer per year,
> half 
> of them fatal, making them more of a risk than
> wrong-site surgeries."
> 
> 	The ECRI's URL is
> <http://www.ecri.org/Pages/default.aspx>.  It
> was 
> founded in 1968 as the Emergency Care Research
> Institute.  A summary of
> its 
> history will be found here:
> <http://www.ecri.org/About/Pages/History.aspx>.
> 
> 	Any comments on the article about CT scans?
> 
> Steven Dapra
> sjd at swcp.com
> 

+++++++++++++++++++
"If you guard your toothbrushes and diamonds with equal zeal, you'll
probably lose fewer toothbrushes and more diamonds."
- Former national security advised McGeorge Bundy
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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