FDA issues pediatric medical imaging advisory
The FDA has issued a consumer update on safety in pediatric medical imaging to increase awareness for the need to decrease the radiation dose administered to children during CT scanning.
The FDA’s article, “Radiology & Children: Extra Care Required,” supports the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging’s Image Gently campaign, issued by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
The article said that “unnecessary radiation exposure during medical procedures should be avoided. This is particularly important when the patient is a child.”
“That is why it is important that with children, the lowest radiation dose necessary is used for providing an image from which an accurate diagnosis can be made,” according to the article.
The FDA article has reemphasized the ACR’s Image Gently campaign objectives of optimizing CT settings for pediatric patients, educating parents on their role as their child’s advocate and ensuring that the imaging facility and staff has undergone appropriate accreditation, according to the ACR.
The FDA said that children are more sensitive to radiation than adults, and that radiological exams could cause adverse effects over time.
Nearly 1,200 imaging providers, representing more than 900 facilities nationwide, have taken the Image Gently pledge to reduce the radiation dose estimate used in the performance of CT scans on children. The campaign was launched Jan. 22.
The FDA’s article, “Radiology & Children: Extra Care Required,” supports the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging’s Image Gently campaign, issued by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
The article said that “unnecessary radiation exposure during medical procedures should be avoided. This is particularly important when the patient is a child.”
“That is why it is important that with children, the lowest radiation dose necessary is used for providing an image from which an accurate diagnosis can be made,” according to the article.
The FDA article has reemphasized the ACR’s Image Gently campaign objectives of optimizing CT settings for pediatric patients, educating parents on their role as their child’s advocate and ensuring that the imaging facility and staff has undergone appropriate accreditation, according to the ACR.
The FDA said that children are more sensitive to radiation than adults, and that radiological exams could cause adverse effects over time.
Nearly 1,200 imaging providers, representing more than 900 facilities nationwide, have taken the Image Gently pledge to reduce the radiation dose estimate used in the performance of CT scans on children. The campaign was launched Jan. 22.