By: Jacob Parrick

CT scans are an essential tool for physicians to help interpret what exactly is happening inside your body. Although the average patient tries to limit the amounts of X-rays they receive per year, CT scans expose the patient to hundreds of X-rays at one time. The X-rays are then compiled into one 3- dimentional image that provides an accurate depiction of the inner workings of the patient. However, the patient must weight the benefits of this scan, understanding the long term risks associated with radiation exposure. Therefore, newer CT scanners which emit lower radiation would be ideal for such studies.

 Exposure to high doses of radiation, such as that emitted from a CT scanner, have been linked to many cancers.  With approximately 450 times the radiation of an X-ray, CT scans, as they are today, may be do more harm than good – something all physicians take an oath to never do!

 These scans will enable the physician to assess the patient’s current medical condition, without potentially creating a new one.  Although other modern scanning devices use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), each scan shows radiologists different aspects of the body; therefore CT scan, though potentially dangerous in their current (high radiation) state, are essential.

Table : Radiation by the Numbers This table perfectly demonstrates the need for newer computerized tomography technology.