Have patients been warned properly about the risks of brain scan technology?
Specifically, in question is the GE Healthcare perfusion CT scan. CT stands for computed tomography. After an injection, a brain scan is taken to examine blood vessels. Perfusion CT is typically done to diagnose a stroke or aneurysm. These brain scans require more radiation than a typical CT scan. A regular CT scan to the brain is the equivalent of approximately 100 chest X-rays. In contrast, a perfusion CT brain scan is equal to several hundred chest x-rays. Information now reaching the public through a variety of media claims that patients at four hospitals received excess radiation equivalent to several thousand X-rays instead of the expected radiation dose. Now for the finger pointing: Who’s to blame? GE Healthcare and Toshiba, both manufacturers of perfusion CT scans blame the hospitals, radiologists, and technicians for lack of expertise and training to operate the medical device. The hospitals, radiologists, and technicians blame the brain scan manufacturers for failing to provi
