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Computed tomography (CT) is the imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of many disease processes but can cause cancer when overused. This has led to efforts to reduce the amount of radiation children receive by adjusting dose to body size.
These authors reviewed radiation doses for nearly 240,000 CT scans in patients aged ≤21 years at 519 facilities. The facilities were categorized as academic pediatric, nonacademic pediatric, academic adult, or nonacademic adult; most (65%) scans were performed at nonacademic adult centers. Radiation doses were significantly higher at adult facilities than at pediatric facilities. For example, the largest children received twice the radiation dose for abdomen-pelvis CT scans performed at nonacademic a…