Risk for Cancer from Multiple CT Scans

In an ED study, radiation exposure from 10 CT scans performed during 7.7 years was associated with a lifetime attributable risk for cancer of 1 in 110.

Now that use of computed tomography (CT) as a diagnostic tool is ubiquitous in emergency departments, assessing risk for cancer associated with multiple CT scans is important. Investigators retrospectively identified adult ED patients who underwent CT of the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis at a single academic medical center during June 2005 through May 2006. Of 6901 patients, 130 (63% women; median age, 55) underwent CT on at least three ED visits, and, for this group, the investigators identified all CT scans performed at the center during a 7.7-year period.

The median, mean, and maximum numbers of CT scans performed during the 7.7-year period were 10, 13, and 70, respectively. The investigators calculated median, mean, and maximum cumulat…

Reviewing Author

Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Editorial boardsKoenig & Schultz's Disaster Medicine: Comprehensive Principles and Practices

Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Editorial boardsKoenig & Schultz's Disaster Medicine: Comprehensive Principles and Practices