Some caregivers considering radiation levels before requesting CTs

March 3, 2010

As federal regulators begin to pay more attention to the amount of radiation patients are exposed to through CTs, hospitals and caregivers are also pausing to consider whether a CT scan is the appropriate type of scan, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Up to one-third of CT scans can be considered "medically unnecessary" and a 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 20 million adults and one million children are being irradiated unnecessarily each year.

However, the American College of Radiology says that it may be too early to completely bar CTs as they are a valuable tool for determining a patient's condition. Experts in the field recommend using the ACR's guidelines for evaluating whether to use a CT scan or another type of scan.

To read more from the Wall Street Journal, click here.