Pediatric CT imaging and radiation risk information for Patient

• Radiation is an essential component of a CT examination.
• The amount of radiation that a CT examination provides is low-level radiation.
• The cause-and-effect relationship between low-level radiation, such as with CT, and cancer is not certain, but expert panels that have examined this question have suggested that there is a small risk that increases with increasing dose.
• No direct connection between CT examinations and subsequent development of cancer has been demonstrated, so the risks of CT scans must be estimated, and these estimates vary depending on the information used.
• The amount of radiation that CT provides depends on many factors, especially the protocols used and equipment settings for the individual examination.
• In general, properly performed CT examinations of children should expose a child to much lower exposures than those for the same procedure on an adult.
• The potential benefit from an indicated CT examination is clinically recognized and documented and is far greater than the potential cancer risk.
• Radiologists are specialists in CT who are trained to use the least amount of radiation necessary (the ALARA principle, discussed previously).

In summary, there is wide agreement that the benefits of an indicated CT scan far outweigh the risks. It is the responsibility of those health care professionals who use CT scanning to ensure that each CT scan is indicated. It is the responsibility of radiology personnel to ensure that radiation risk is minimized by using the ALARA principle to determine the correct technique. The information provided in this clinical report is offered to aid in decision-making and discussions with the health care team, patients, and families.