(WXYZ) - Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. And C-T scans are the latest diagnostic test with the potential to help reduce those statistics. The problem is CT Scans involve radiation exposure. But now doctors have come up with ways to reduce the dose and make the tests even safer.
CAROLYN CLIFFORD REPORTS IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHTDenise Cosby works in the radiation oncology department at Beaumont Hospital. When she began to have issues with her heart, she knew a CT Scan could help her doctor diagnose the problem.
“I needed to know what’s going on with my body and that was the best tool that they have in order to find out the info that we need.”
Denise ended up having two CT Scans within a week. But she was exposed to a lot less radiation than she would have received two years ago – thanks to new protocols being used at Beaumont and 14 other hospital screening centers.
According to Dr. Gilbert Raff, director of the Ministrelli Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, “We agreed on a program that could include making sure for example that the x-ray was only for the right part of the body, that the tube was set as low as possible based on the patient’s body weight.”
In the study, doctors looked for ways to get all the information they needed from the tests while the patients got a lot less radiation.
Dr. Raff told us “We were able to get the dose down by 53%, which is rather dramatic.”
So now CT Scan radiation is equal to the amount we all get from just going about our normal lives for three years.
Dr. Raff says for an individual patient, it’s extremely unlikely they’ll ever develop cancer from x-ray exposure. It’s much more likely you’ll get a problem from not having an x-ray.
Doctors all over the state are now being trained in the new lower radiation techniques. And new scanners will reduce radiation even further. That’s all good news for Denise.
“I’m in my 50's and I know I’m going to have other CT Scans and X-rays in the future and its good to know for future generations there’s a good possibility.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
