Incidence and Mortality Life-Attributable Risks for Patients Subjected to Recurrent CT Examinations and Cumulative...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Physics
• Public Health

Background:

• Multi-detector array computed tomography (CT) is widely used for diagnosis.
• Concerns exist regarding potential health risks from cumulative radiation exposure.
• Assessing the long-term impact of frequent CT scans is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify adult patients with a cumulative effective dose (CED) of 100 mSv or higher over five years.
• To estimate the life-attributable risks (LARs) of incidence and mortality for these individuals.
• To evaluate the benefit-to-risk ratio of frequent CT examinations.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of CT studies from a trauma and emergency facility.
• Identification of individuals with a historical CED of ≥ 100 mSv.
• Calculation of LARs based on organ, age, and gender.

Main Results:

• Out of 4406 CT studies, 22 individuals met the CED ≥ 100 mSv criterion.
• The highest recorded CED was 223.0 mSv in a 57-year-old male.
• The highest median mortality risk was observed in females aged 51-60 years (214 per 100,000).

Conclusions:

• A small but significant number of patients accumulate high cumulative effective doses from CT scans.
• Radiation risk assessment is essential, especially for patients requiring frequent CT examinations.
• Careful consideration of the benefit-to-risk ratio is necessary when ordering CT scans.