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Radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging is thought to be a significant cause of cancer. In a prospective observational study, investigators compared the findings of a low-radiation-dose computed tomography (CT) protocol for renal colic with those of a standard CT protocol in 201 patients with clinical renal colic at a single academic emergency department.
The low-dose protocol missed 10% of kidney stones, identifying 92 of the 102 stones detected by standard-dose CT. The 10 missed stones ranged in size from 2 mm to 5 mm. The mean radiation dose reduction was 84%. The authors estimate that universal use of the reduced-dose protocol could avert 800 iatrogenic cancers each year in the U.S.