[ RadSafe ] CT incident - how could it happen?

[Steven Dapra]

Nov. 12

         According to the linked article, "A cytogeneticist who analyzed 
the boy's blood found substantial chromosomal damage, Stockett 
said."  Stockett is the family's lawyer.  (A reliable source, to be 
sure.)  What did this kid's chromosomes look like before the CT scan?  Why 
did the parents have a cell (cyto) geneticist evaluate the blood?  Wouldn't 
a hematologist be more suitable for this type of work?  Did the parents 
obtain a second opinion from another cytogeneticist?

         I think Gary is onto something here with his "$ettle quickly" 
suggestion.  (Clever, Gary.  I like it.  What a difference a symbol makes.)

         Even that lawyer says, "He bounces around like a normal 
two-year-old," . . . .  You wouldn't know anything was wrong with him at 
all."   Will red marks lead to an infusion of the long green??  RADSAFE 
minds want to know.

Steven Dapra


At 09:39 AM 11/12/08 -0600, garyi at trinityphysics.com wrote:
>It seems extremely unlikely.  The article, including Brenner's remarks, 
>are pretty "nuanced"
>and don't actually say anything definite about the exam or the radiation 
>dose delivered.  It is
>possible that the "151 scans" are actually 151 *slices* of 1 mm each, 
>acquired in one or two
>passes with a multislice scanner.  The article may simply be designed to 
>put public pressure
>on the hospital to $ettle quickly.
>
>If dose implied by the "red marks all the way around his head, like a 
>severe sunburn"
>statement were true, the child would be dead or very sick.  At least, if 
>the erythema is
>radiation induced there should be some epilation also, but there is no 
>mention of that in the
>article.
>
>I wonder if it is possible to do EPR dosimetry on human hair?
>
>-Gary Isenhower
>
>
>On 12 Nov 2008 at 15:01, Mauro Campoleoni wrote:
>
>From:                   "Mauro Campoleoni" <trentino at iol.it>
>To:                     <radsafe at radlab.nl>
>Date sent:              Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:01:54 +0100
>Subject:                [ RadSafe ] CT incident - how could it happen?
>
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>
>Hallo friends,
>
>does anybody know about this?
>http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/news/article/113619/1348813
>
>Any idea of how it could happen (if it really happened)?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Mauro Campoleoni
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
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