Dear Pediatric Imaging Insider,
Readers of this newsletter know that CT exams for children should be ordered conservatively, then utilize the lowest level of radiation dose that will produce images of acceptable diagnostic quality.
Regrettably, emergency physicians order CT scans when a child is seriously injured without considering other clinical options. Sometimes these exams may be potentially of more clinical harm than help, and expose children to radiation dose that's either unnecessary or higher than needed.
Can CT scans be deferred in pediatric patients about to be transferred? That question is the subject of our Insider Exclusive, which you can read several days in advance as a Pediatric Imaging Insider subscriber.
But if a CT exam is needed, a free new tool is available on the Internet to estimate the cancer risk a CT exam may generate. Consider sharing this with ER colleagues and referring physicians.
In other news featured in the Pediatric Imaging Digital Community, radiation-free imaging continues to produce results with ER patients. Read about the use of ultrasound to diagnose clavicle fractures here, and MRI's ability to identify ankle fractures here.
Concluding what seems to be an emergency department-themed newsletter, associate editor Donna Domino summarizes court transcripts relating to the investigation of the massive CT overdose of a toddler at Mad River Community Hospital. Click here to learn what questions remain unanswered.
