Poll of the Week: Are CT scans on children in the ER overused?
The use of CT scans on children in the emergency room has increased fivefold since 1995, raising concerns about radiation exposure.
The use of CT scans on children in the emergency room has increased fivefold since 1995, raising concerns about radiation exposure.
Between 1995 and 2008, pediatric ER visits with a CT scan increased to 1.65 million, a compound annual growth rate of 13.2 percent, according to a recent study published in Radiology.
The increase is likely due to CT technology advancements. But researchers noted that some radiology departments might not consistently tailor the CT technique to the child’s size. Treating physicians should ensure appropriate scanning indications to minimize pediatric radiation exposure, researchers said.
What do you think? Are CT scans used inappropriately on children?
Meta-Analysis Shows Merits of AI with CTA Detection of Coronary Artery Stenosis and Calcified Plaque
April 16th 2025Artificial intelligence demonstrated higher AUC, sensitivity, and specificity than radiologists for detecting coronary artery stenosis > 50 percent on computed tomography angiography (CTA), according to a new 17-study meta-analysis.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
Could Lymph Node Distribution Patterns on CT Improve Staging for Colon Cancer?
April 11th 2025For patients with microsatellite instability-high colon cancer, distribution-based clinical lymph node staging (dCN) with computed tomography (CT) offered nearly double the accuracy rate of clinical lymph node staging in a recent study.
