Outside links: For the convenience of our users, provides links to relevant websites. Web page review process: This Web page is reviewed regularly by a physician with expertise in the medical area presented and is further reviewed by committees from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), comprising physicians with expertise in several radiologic areas. Discuss the fees associated with your prescribed procedure with your doctor, the medical facility staff and/or your insurance provider to get a better understanding of the possible charges you will incur. The costs for specific medical imaging tests, treatments and procedures may vary by geographic region. This website does not provide cost information. To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database. Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician. The risk associated with these tests is very small compared to the help provided by the imaging test. If your healthcare provider thinks that you, a family member or friend may have a significant medical condition, a diagnostic examination should not be refused because of the fear of radiation exposure. Medical imaging can be an essential medical tool to speed treatment and recovery. If you are pregnant, tell the medical staff before any imaging exam using ionizing radiation is conducted. However, the risk for long-term health effects, although small, is uncertain. A limited number of properly performed imaging exams do not represent any concern for developmental defects. Diagnostic imaging exams that expose pregnant women to ionizing radiation should be conducted only after establishing the need for the exam and with careful consideration of the fetus. The unborn child of a pregnant woman is perhaps most sensitive to radiation. Other medical conditions that imaging might reveal: The results may lead to a more appropriate diagnosis which could prevent unnecessary surgery and speed recovery. If a person of any age is involved in a serious car accident, a CT scan can be a quick and painless way to detect significant and perhaps critical internal injuries that are not apparent.Įven if the CT results are normal, showing no critical internal injury, that information is valuable. Medical imaging can be extremely useful at any age to help with the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases or conditions. Diagnostic exams like Computed Tomography (CT) can be important in the diagnosis and treatment of older patients. The body tissues of older patients are less sensitive to the effects of radiation. Because lower radiation dose levels are used for children and adolescents, the risk associated with their examinations does not need to be greater than that of an adult and is often much less.Īs adults age, radiation exposure becomes less of a concern. However, the radiation doses required to obtain pictures of children are much lower than adult levels. Since effects of radiation take years to develop, their youth extends the time for any potential effects from ionizing radiation to occur. Children grow quickly, and their cells are more sensitive to radiation. When given equal radiation doses, the risks for children and adolescents are greater than for adults.
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