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Do patients with larger body sizes undergo more CT exams?
Xinhua Li1, Suman Srinivasa1, Madan M Rehani2
1Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Str., MA, Boston, 02114, USA.
Irish Journal of Medical Science
|February 7, 2023
Summary
Patients with larger body sizes, particularly those classified as XL and XXL, undergo significantly more computed tomography (CT) scans, especially in the abdominopelvic region. This highlights a potential disparity in medical imaging utilization based on body size.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Medical Imaging
- Obesity Research
- Healthcare Policy
Background:
- Overweight and obese individuals face higher disease burdens.
- Previous research has not clarified if larger body sizes correlate with increased computed tomography (CT) exam utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if patients with larger body sizes undergo more CT exams.
- To quantify the extent of increased CT exam frequency in larger body sizes.
Main Methods:
- A multi-center study analyzed over one million CT exams across 256 US medical institutions.
- Patient body size was categorized into seven T-shirt sizes (XXS-XXL) using CT localizer radiographs.
- CT exam frequency was compared across different body size categories.
Main Results:
- Patients with larger body sizes (L, XL, XXL) had 2.5-3.5 times more chest CTs and 7.8-17.7 times more abdominopelvic CTs than smaller sizes (XXS, XS, S).
- Extra-large body sizes (XL, XXL) underwent 4.6-9.9 times more chest CTs and 39.2-187.8 times more abdominopelvic CTs compared to extra-small sizes (XXS, XS).
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to demonstrate significantly higher CT utilization in patients with larger body sizes.
- Findings have implications for healthcare policy, resource allocation for obese patients, and imaging guidelines.
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