Worried CT scan

[Dylls]

My 4 year old has been through an awful lot, he has a rare condition which has meant he has had numerous surgeries and is being monitored for a number of issues. He has had 4 CT scans plus a couple of xrays over the years, and we've been told he needs another one (in the next couple of weeks). I understand he absolutely needs it (it's a post operative scan so they can get a baseline reading and refer to it going forward) but I'm really worried about the radiation exposure he's had already. I'm also worried he's going to need further ct scans in the future to keep a check on things. I wondered if anyone else had been through this - I have extremely high anxiety so I'm aware I might be over thinking this.

You could ask your clinical team to get some info from the radiology department - a scan may not represent that much more radiation exposure than a few flights for example. The amount of radiation in CT scans has reduced massively from say 20 years ago.

@Dylls pp is correct, radiation doses for CT have reduced over the years with new technology. Each scan request will be reviewed by the radiology dept to make sure it is necessary, especially for children. But don’t worry in silence, please make sure that the radiographers explain any risks of radiation to you when you attend so that you can be reassured. PP is also correct in the reference to flights - everyone is exposed to an amount of radiation naturally , whether it’s living in a predominantly granite area, flying or eating bananas 😵‍💫 and are often referenced as comparisons to X-rays and scans.

Hi OP

You sound such a lovely caring parent, and I totally understand I have had similar thoughts myself.
Anxiety can be tough.

As PP have said we are exposed to radiation, to different deegrees, just through every day life on earth, as it were.

This is used as a baseline by the radiology dept. and the amount of radiation per scan / X-ray varies by the area of the body, type of scan etc.

They carefully consider each request before proceeding.

Acquired risk of future complications is usually very small and your radiographers / consultant etc. will be more than happy to discuss this in detail with you to help put your mind at ease.

Please try not to worry too much 🙏🏼 I’m sure this has all helped so much in the long-run with getting the correct diagnosis and treatment etc.

Hand hold

Some info I hope will help…

1. an adult abdominal ct is approx 10mSv (as a measurement of radiation dose). The background radiation dose from living in Cornwall is 6.9mSv (similar to a chest ct). Your child will get a much lower dose from the ct scan as they are smaller than an adult.
2. each exposure to radiation has a risk to cause cell damage, but this is not cumulative (at diagnostic levels). So if you have 4 scans, that is 4 x the opportunity for cell damage to occur but the likelihood of damage remains the same per scan and does not increase due to the number of scans you have (so scan number 1 carries the same risk as scan number 4).
3. all diagnostic radiography is carried out on a risk benefit analysis - this means that the risk of damage from radiation is outweighed by the risk of not being able to identify/treat/monitor any pathological or traumatic issues. In practice, doses are now so low that if you need a scan, and a scan is the right tool to use, you will get a scan. Children are considered more carefully but your child’s doctors will not be asking for these scans if they didn’t feel it was necessary.

I do understand why you worry, but a lot of the caution around use of CT and X-ray is (rightly) best practice rather than a tangible risk of causing further issues. We don’t want to, and won’t, irradiate people unnecessarily. CT is a magnificent diagnostic tool and I am
sure your doctors would opt for alternative imaging if it were not the best option for your child.

Thanks for your messages, they have been really helpful and reassuring. I have spoken with radiology and also the team who referred him. They've been helpful and I understand its really important that he has these scans.