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Doctors Pledge To Lower Radiation Exposure In Kids

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Aug 5, 2008 6:52 pm US/Mountain

Doctors Pledge To Lower Radiation Exposure In Kids

Written for the Web by CBS4 producer Libby Smith
Reporting
Dr. Dave Hnida
DENVER (CBS4) ― A new national campaign called "Image Gently" is urging pediatricians to take a pledge to lower radiation exposure in children.

"There has been a significant increase in the number of scans that everybody is getting," said Dr. John Strain, head of pediatric radiology at Children's Hospital.

Strain pointed out that Computed Tomography (CT) scans make up about 15 percent of the total imaging procedures that are done throughout the country. Adults get an estimated 65 million CT scans a year, while children get 7 million. A CT scan is the same dose of radiation as 150 of the old-style chest X-rays.

"So there is a very large number of scans that are done," Strain told CBS4.

The risks of radiation exposure are particularly concerning in children because their bodies are still developing and doctors don't know what the long-term effects are going to be.

"The effective radiation dose is higher in kids. The length of time they have to manifest an abnormality related to radiation is longer," Strain said.

Strain said CT scans are an invaluable tool for making diagnosis of illness and injury.

"Not everybody needs to have a CT scan, but if it's indicated, it is by far and away more beneficial than the risk," Strain said.

The key to the "Image Gently" program is getting doctors to think about how to use the powerful tool more wisely. The pledge includes lowering the parameters of the scan which helps lower the radiation dose, using the CT scan only when necessary, limiting scans to single phase imaging and setting the machines to do automated dose reduction, which allows the machine to use less radiation when it can.

"So if you look at the overall risk to a single individual, it may not be very high, but the concern is in a population you are dealing with something that radiation injury is going to be a significant deal," Strain said.

Parents shouldn't feel intimidated to ask their child's doctor if a CT scan is really necessary, it doesn't hurt to have a person weighing the risks between radiation and imaging.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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