Pediatric body CT exams increasing according to ACR study
According to a new analysis of data from the American College of Radiology (ACR) CT Dose Index Registry (DIR), pediatric body CT scans in the U.S. are becoming increasingly more popular among older children.
Published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, the study examined data of various demographics of more than 411,000 pediatric body CT exams of the abdomen/pelvis and chest/head. According to a recent article by Radiology Business, the CT exams analyzed has been submitted to the ACR DIR from July 2011 to June 2016.
According to data findings, common single-phase pediatric CT exams (head, abdominopelvic, and chest) were conducted more frequently on boys than girls. There were two significant exceptions.
"In the two largest age groups of abdominopelvic CT (11–14 and 15–18 years), girls underwent scanning more often,” wrote lead author Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner, MD, department of radiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. “The reasons behind this trend are not clear, but one contributing factor may be the many genitourinary conditions unique to female adolescents (such as adnexal disorders).”
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.