Know Benefits, Risks of CT Scans
Full-body CT scans are promoted widely as a way to detect early signs of disease. But many public health officials believe the scans may do more harm than good, by exposing healthy individuals to potentially dangerous levels of radiation. . . .
A growing number of public health officials believe a popular health-screening exam is being overused. They say using a full-body computed tomography exam, or CT scan, for early disease detection may carry health risks. Dr. Nancy Major, a radiologist at Duke University Medical Center, says the scans, which combine X-rays and computer technology to produce sharp, two-dimensional internal images, expose the body to high levels of radiation. "There are some very sensitive organs that would be getting exposed to this X-ray: the thyroid gland, the lens of your eye, gonadal tissue, just to name a few that are very radio-sensitive." Major says doing a full-body CT scan on someone with no symptoms of disease is, in effect, selling peace of mind, at a steep price. "It's an unnecessary initial expense, and then what if they find something? Then you've got dollars on top of that. And sometimes what they find, you could have lived with forever and not have had to spend a cent." Major recommends not having a full-body CT scan unless it's ordered by your physician. I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.
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