Radiation exposure of CT enterography

Unlike MR enterography or capsule endoscopy, CT enterography utilises ionising radiation. Brenner and Hall predicted that 1.5–2% of all cancers in the USA may be caused by radiation exposure. The BEIR VII risk model predicts that 0.7% of cohorts' lifetime cancers may be caused by CT. Recently published data on the risk of carcinogenesis in adult patients due to CT quote significantly lower-risk percentages of 0.02–0.04%  (average effective dose of abdomino pelvic CT examination is around 15 mSv , and the average dose for CT enterography at our institution is also 15 mSv). The effective dose will be higher in paediatric patients and, because younger patients are more likely to require more scans during their lifetime, serious consideration should be given to the use of small bowel MRI in younger patients over CT. The authors believe that CT enterography is an appropriate technique when used judiciously in the right patient groups. Recent development of innovative techniques such as the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm are promising and will probably provide diagnostic-quality CT images at significantly reduced radiation doses in the near future