Pregnancy Imaging Exams May Be Harmful to Unborn Children
A recent study from the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University has found that pregnant women are receiving more high-tech imaging exams, exposing their babies to higher doses of radiation than a decade ago. Despite the levels of radiation exposure being low, a slight risk of harm to the developing fetus remains. Over 5,000 imaging examinations performed on pregnant women from 1997 to 2006 were reviewed by Brown researchers. The number of exams were found to have increased 121 percent and included CT scans, nuclear medicine, and plain X-rays. The routine abdominal ultrasound does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation that can lead to cell damage.
Computed tomography exams deliver more radiation than other procedures and had the greatest increase in use, rising around 25 percent per year. X-ray use increased 7 percent annually, and nuclear medical exams rose 12 percent a year. Researchers estimate that the average radiation exposure for a fetus undergoing a CT scan was .69 rads, compared to .04 rads from nuclear tests and .0015 rads from X-rays.
Study author Elizabeth Lazarus claims that "A patient being recommended for a test like this should talk to their doctor to find out if there are any alternative tests or if there is any warning." However, she also warns that if one of these tests is needed that they should not be discouraged from undergoing one because a diagnosis could also be life saving.
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