The Role Model, Rabbi Moshe Kuessous z.s.l.

By: Dave Gordon

Children underwent five times more CT scans during ER visits in 2008 than they did over a decade ago, according to a study in the journal Radiology. Some 90 percent of the exams were done in hospitals that do not specialize in pediatrics, possibly by staff members who do not fully understand the additional risks the tests pose to children. Abdominal scans grew at a higher rate than head scans, despite the fact that CT scans of the abdomen expose kids to seven times more radiation than scans of the head and 500 times more radiation than a chest x-ray. High doses of radiation are a potentialcause of cancer, especially in children. The study suggested that except in emergency situations, parents should ask health staff whether it would be better to use an MRI or sonogram, neither of which utilize radiation and may perform just as well as a CT scan.