AW: [ RadSafe ] CT scans dangerous?

[John Jacobus]

Franz,
I am glad to hear you had a negative scan.  Lately, I
have replied to patients and parents of patients who
were incensed that they were subjected to a negative
CT scan.  I have been temped to say "sorry it was not
a positive scan that would have required admittance to
the hospital, medical treatment, lost work and high
medical bills."

--- Franz Schönhofer <franz.schoenhofer at chello.at>
wrote:

> Gary,
> 
> Not taking into consideration the complicated
> discussion about medical
> exposure, but only the patients exposure I fully
> support your statement. A
> few weeks ago I woke up in a red cross rescue car,
> being told on my
> bewildered question that I had fallen down at an
> escalator and badly hurt my
> head and that I was to be transported to the central
> Viennese Hospital. 
> There I was subjected to a CT scan and was really
> relieved, that there was
> no damage of my skull and my brain. I did not ask
> for my radiation dose....
> I do not care for any radiation effects in this my
> own case and I fully
> support the Austrian Radiation Protection Laws which
> exempt medical
> applications from the Radiation Protection Law! 
> 
> I do not forget the responsibility of medical
> doctors to minimize the
> radiation exposure. A routineous exposure in CT
> scans, which only serve an
> additional income of the respective laboratory has
> to be categorilly
> refused! 
> 
> This message was written and forwarded at about 9:40
> Middle Europan Winter
> Time on Thursday, 8 November ,which is approximately
> 6 hours ahead in New
> York and about 8 hours ahead in my beloved South
> West (New Mexico, Utah,
> Colorado....). The time for forwarding to the list
> is at present about two
> days (48 hours), which makes me wonder, how this
> list can still be called a
> "discussion group". 
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Franz
> 
> 
> 
> Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
> MinRat i.R.
> Habicherg. 31/7
> A-1160 Wien/Vienna
> AUSTRIA
> 
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im Auftrag
> von garyi at trinityphysics.com
> Gesendet: Dienstag, 06. November 2007 02:21
> An: radsafe at radlab.nl
> Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] CT scans dangerous?
> 
> John is correct - ALARA does not apply to medical
> exposures (not to be
> confused with 
> occupational exposure to medical techs and such). 
> ALARA, God help us, is a
> regulatory 
> issue.  But when a physician uses radiation for
> treatment or diagnosis,
> he/she is assumed to 
> take minor issues like stochastic effects into
> consideration when weighing
> the risk vs benefit.
> 
> -Gary Isenhower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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+++++++++++++++++++
"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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