The changing use of pediatric CT in Australia

Despite the medical benefits of CT, there are concerns about increased cancer risks following CT scans in childhood.

To assess Australian temporal trends in pediatric CT scans funded through Medicare over the period 1985 to 2005, as well as changes in the types of CT scanners used.

We studied de-identified electronic records of Medicare-funded services, including CT scans, that were available for children and adults younger than 20 years between 1985 and 2005. We assessed temporal trends using CT imaging rates by age, gender and anatomical region. Regulators provided CT scanner registration lists to identify new models installed in Australia and to date the introduction of new technologies.

Between 1985 and 2005, 896,306 Medicare-funded CT services were performed on 688,260 individuals younger than 20 years. The imaging rate more than doubled during that time period. There were more than 1,000 CT scanners on registration lists during the study period. There were both a sharp increase in the availability of helical scanning capabilities from 1994 and significant growth in multi-detector CT scanners from 2000.

Significant increases in the rate of pediatric CT scanning have occurred in Australia. This rate has stabilized since 2000, possibly a result of better understanding of cancer risks.