Are you really going to do an MRI instead of a CT (or vice versa)?

Two pediatric radiologists have penned a brief but thoughtful answer to a common but tricky question—one that can be especially vexing within their subspecialty: Should we do a CT scan or MRI?

Writing in AAP News, Sarah Sarvis Milla, MD, and Adina L. Alazraki, MD, both of Emory University’s Egleston Hospital for Children, note that both modalities now allow multiplanar imaging of the body and each has advantages and disadvantages.

“CT is a quick examination but exposes the patient to ionizing radiation,” they point out. “MRI has improved soft tissue resolution” and other plus points, but scanning can take much longer than CT, as “different sequences may be necessary for full evaluation, and the need for sedation is not without additional risk and service coordination.”

So what’s the final answer to the question Milla and Alazraki pose? Click here to find out.

Dave Pearson

Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.

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