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Radiologists warn on overuse of medical radiation

Recent studies on radiation risks from computed tomography, or CT scans, and several cases of accidental radiation overdoses have drawn new focus on medical imaging.

Radiologists call for curbs on overuse of imaging  By Julie Steenhuysen,   Aug 24, 2010  CHICAGO (Reuters) – Doctors are ordering too many unnecessary imaging tests, raising the cost of healthcare and exposing patients to excess amounts of radiation, imaging experts said on Tuesday……

some imaging procedures are not justified, because they are unnecessary for the patient’s care. These are the uses of imaging that we, as medical physicists, radiologists, radiation oncologists and educators, are trying to identify and eliminate.”

The paper represents the best ideas from a two-day summit representing more than 60 organizations involved in medical imaging…..

Recent studies on radiation risks from computed tomography, or CT scans, and several cases of accidental radiation overdoses have drawn new focus on medical imaging.

A report last year by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement found that Americans receive seven times more radiation from diagnostic scans than in 1980.

Hendee said there are several reasons for overuse of medical imaging, which includes magnetic resonance imaging, or MRIs, and positron emission tomography, or PET, scans that doctors use to help diagnose disease and chart the progress of cancer treatment.

Two reasons for overuse — doctors who refer patients for scans at their own imaging facilities and doctors who order tests to protect against potential lawsuits — require broad solutions, Hendee said.

Radiologists call for curbs on overuse of imaging | Reuters

August 24, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radiation, radioactive