When Weighing the Risk of CT Scans , it is good or bad?
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY Recent studies found that patients may receive far more radiation from the common diagnostic tests called CT scans than previously estimated. These scans may cause 29,000 new cancers a year— as well as 14,500 deaths. USA TODAY’s Liz Szabo asked experts how patients can reduce their risk. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Readers remember their last CT scans Q: Should patients be concerned about CT scans? A: In many cases, the benefits of these tests — in finding cancers, aneurysms or blood clots — far outweigh the relatively low risks of radiation, says James Thrall of the American College of Radiology. But some doctors are concerned that younger patients — particularly children and young adults — could get doses high enough to increase their risk of cancer, especially if they need multiple scans. But not all CT scans are the same. Certain types, such as those that use multiple scans to provide changes in blood flow over time, provide much greater radiation doses than others
