1 CT and 2 X-rays?
Question:
I have received a sinus and a chest x-ray in less than 2.5 months ago. Recently, I have been experiencing mild headaches and the doctor said i might need a CT scan of my brain if symptoms persist. I am very concern with the amount of radiation that i am going to be exposed to. what do you think? shall i do it?
P.S- I am 23 yrs old male
Answers:
The doses used for x-ray studies are much lower than they were in previous years. Improvements in equipment, film, intensifying screens and even the developing process have allowed us to significantly lower the dose received by a patient. If there is a medical reason to have an imaging study, I would not be overly concerned about dose. I did a bit of research for you..
Here are the doses you have received so far:
The effective dose of radiation from a chest x-ray is about 0.1 milliseiverts. This is about the amount of natural background radiation a person gets from their environment in about 10 days.
SINUS STUDY: This study involves radiation exposure from three X-rays of your sinus. As part of everyday living, everyone is exposed to a small amount of background radiation that comes from soil, rocks, outer space and within the body itself. The radiation dose you will receive in this study is about the amount that you receive over 70 days from background radiation. The risk from this dose is small. This radiation exposure is not necessary for your medical care but is necessary to obtain the research information desired.”
Note: If a single film is required, then the radiation dose and calculated percentage of the yearly background dose may be reduced by a third and the consent risk statement adjusted accordingly.
http://keats.admin.virginia.edu/rad/huma...
A representative value of 1.8 mSv (180 mrem) effective
dose is given for a head CT.
For comparison, an average American receives about 3.0 mSv (300 mrem) effective dose from exposure to natural background radiation each year.
http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate...
Yes i believe you should go ahead and get a ct done, the problem of your headaches could be from something life threating and just in case i would do it
As long as you havent been getting xrays and ct scans often, I think you will be fine. Even though radiation is bad for you, as long as you are careful it's ok. Most people get xrays every now and then, and sometimes it's necessary to help other problems. I think you'll be fine, but I'm not an expert.
Did you try asking you doctor about the concern you have about the radiation?
More Questions & Answers...