CT scan radiation exposure

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Hello, i've been exposed to a chest CT angio with a DLP corresponding to a value of 273 mGy.cm and a CTDI vol of about 6 mGy.

Following the discovery of a pulmonary embolism I had a head CT with and without contrast (basically 2 head CTs in one day...) done the following week with a DLP of 1880 mGy.cm and a CTDI vol of about 86 mGy.

After doing quite an amount of research I admit I have trouble sleeping and I am quite anxious due to the amount of radiation I have been exposed to. I am 22 years old and fear for my future health.

The scans were perfomed on a 64 slice scanner (GE HD discovery 750)

Can anyone let me know about how much i've been exposed to and how concerned should I be about these tests?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 7 • Views: 1,421 • Replies: 5

[+4] - Butrflynet - 01/02/2015That is minimal. In the last 18 months I have had 3 CT scans, an MRI, 6 fluoroscopes of my abdomen and xrays of my back, pelvis, knees and feet, along with a set of full mouth dental xrays. I...

@jamz,

You should sleep peacefully knowing that you are fortunate enough to live in a time and place where these tests are available, and where your life will probably be prolonged as a result. You should ask these questions to your doctor(s) as they have access to all the relevant research and information . Both your doctors and the medical researchers whose results they rely on have spent years at medical school/university and even though they might not be infallible they don't use google and random internet message boards for their answers.

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@jamz,

That is minimal. In the last 18 months I have had 3 CT scans, an MRI, 6 fluoroscopes of my abdomen and xrays of my back, pelvis, knees and feet, along with a set of full mouth dental xrays.

I don't glow in the dark and haven't grown any extra body parts.

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The potential for adverse side effects would have been taken into account before your doctor ever ordered the scan(s), so I really don't think there's anything to be concerned about. If you're still worried, the person to talk to would be your doctor.

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I don't know quantitatively how much your exposure was, but I do know that diagnostic scan people have spent a lot of time doing the calculations. Every tech who performs a scan is extensively trained in radiation exposure principles. This has all long since been figured out. You have nothing to worry about from radiation in medical scans.

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@jamz,

Please relax. Over the years, I have had so many diagnostic radiologic procedures that I used to joke that my husband used me as a night light. In fact, a long time ago, over a period of seven years, I used to have full body CT scans four times a year. No harm has come to me from these tests. In addition, I had a number of therapeutic radiations, which has far more radiation than the diagnostic stuff.

The only time that there could be problems with radiation (and this is therapeutic, not diagnostic radiation) is when it is being used to shrink tumors, in breast or prostate cancer. In that instance, the lymph nodes that are radiated, can become less operational, and lymphedema can ensue. But that is preferable to having cancer.

The radiologists know what they are doing.

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CT scan radiation exposure

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