Dear AuntMinnie Member,
SAN FRANCISCO - The International Society for Computed Tomography (ISCT) annual meeting convened here yesterday, with a series of presentations dealing with the tricky topic of CT radiation dose.
International editor Eric Barnes was on hand for the discussion yesterday, which included a presentation by Mayo Clinic medical physicist Cynthia McCollough, PhD, cautioning that physicians should not go overboard in trying to reduce patient radiation exposure by not ordering CT scans that might be medically necessary.
Dr. McCollough reviewed the evidence behind the link between cancer incidence and low levels of radiation exposure -- such as that experienced during medical imaging exams -- and found much of it wanting. For example, most of the evidence regarding a cancer-radiation link focuses on levels greater than 100 mSv -- far higher than a medical imaging study.
She believes that radiologists and physicians should focus on whether a CT scan is medically necessary, rather than any downstream risk of cancer incidence from radiation exposure.
But there are dissenting opinions, and we feature one from Dr. Andrew Einstein, PhD, from Columbia University. Learn about both sides of the issue by clicking here.
Be sure to visit the CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com for more coverage from this week's ISCT meeting, or follow our Twitter feed for the latest updates.
PET/MRI gets FDA nod
In other news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday announced clearance of the first hybrid PET/MRI scanner. Learn more about this novel system by clicking here, or visit our Molecular Imaging Digital Community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
