Radiation Exposure From Medical Imaging
Time to Regulate?
- David J. Brenner, PhD;
- Hedvig Hricak, MD
- Author Affiliations: Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York (Dr Brenner); and Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York (Dr Hricak), New York.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING
- LEGISLATION
- PATIENT SAFETY
- RADIATION EFFECTS
- TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY COMPUTED
The average radiation dose to which persons in the United States are exposed has doubled over the past 30 years.1,2 Although the average dose from natural background sources has not changed, the average radiation dose from medical imaging has increased more than 6-fold.1,2 Medical imaging now contributes about 50% of the overall radiation dose to the US population, compared with about 15% in 1980.2
The largest contributor to this dramatic increase in population radiation exposure is the computed tomography (CT) scan. In 1980 fewer than 3 million CT scans were performed, but the annual number now approaches 80 million and is increasing by approximately 10% per year.2 Because CT scanning involves acquiring multiple images, CT scans result in a far larger radiation dose to the patient than most other common radiographic procedures such as chest x-rays or mammograms. Although CT is responsible …
