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Children's CT scans on the rise in ER's

04/08/2011 12:25:00 admin
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by Aimee Keenan-Greene

Kids are getting more CT scans at the ER, and in turn more exposure to radiation.

So says a new article in the journal Radiology that looked at the use of computed tomography (CT) in children visiting emergency departments between 1995 and 2008.

Chief complaints among those undergoing CT included head injury, abdominal pain, and headache. 

Specifically researchers noted the number of pediatric visits that included CT examination 0.33 to 1.65 million, that's a fivefold increase, with a compound annual growth rate of 13.2 percent.

The percentage of overall visits associated with CT increased from 1.2 to 5.9 percent a 4.8-fold increase, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.8 percent.

The number of visits associated with CT at pediatric-focused and non–pediatric-focused increased from 14,895 and 316 133, respectively, in 1995 to 212,716 and 1,438,413, respectively, in 2008.

Doctors underscore the need to ensure CT imaging is appropriately ordered, performed, and interpreted for children.

The Children's Hospital of Cincinnati says a CT scan, also be called a CAT scan, uses x-rays to take pictures of the inside of a patient’s body. Most CT scans are about 10- 20 minutes in length. It may be necessary to schedule the appointment with anesthesia or sedation. For some scans, the Radiologist or the ordering doctor may require contrast. The two most common types of contrast are given orally or by an IV. Depending on the details of the scan, both oral and IV contrast may be required.

Researchers note: This study was exempt from institutional review board oversight. Data from the 1995–2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to evaluate the number and percentage of visits associated with CT for patients younger than 18 years. A mean of 7375 visits were sampled each year. Data were subcategorized according to multiple patient and hospital characteristics. The Rao-Scott χ2 test was performed to determine whether CT use was similar across subpopulations. 
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