Radiation Exposure of Pregnant Women More Than Doubles in 10 Years

In a recent press release, researchers announced that in the past 10 years, more pregnant women have received radiologic exams than ever before. Although the risks to the mother's fetus is low, the risk remains, researchers said.

Researchers determined that volume of radiologic imagining studies that were performed increased by 121 percent from 1997 to 2006. While some of these studies were conducted in areas of the body that would not expose the fetus to any radiation, a significant number of the studies did expose their fetus to radiation.

They determined that the largest growth came from CT exams. Researchers are concerned because the CT scan emits more radiation than most of the other procedures that are done. While using a CT scan on a pregnant woman is not standard, it still occurs and using the CT scan on pregnant women is growing rapidly.

For instance, when someone has a CT scan of their abdomen, they are exposed to twice as much radiation as they would have received had they had an x-ray of their lower gastrointestinal tract. Had they been given an abdominal ultrasound, there would be no ionizing radiation exposure.

It is important to remind all pregnant women that CT scans can be safe, and are often necessary to diagnose or treat their medical condition. However, researchers recommend that before having a CT scan, pregnant women consult with their physicians before having CT scans.

They should fully explore the other possible diagnostic tests or imaging devices that may be available, that do not carry the risks of radiation exposure.

"Through medical imaging examinations, we are exposing pregnant women to twice the amount of radiation as we did 10 years ago. Overall, the levels of radiation to which we are exposing pregnant women are low, but they do carry a slight risk of harm to the developing fetus," said Elizabeth Lazarus, M.D., assistant professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Researchers acknowledge that the use of CT scans, magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) and other high-tech type of scans have increased across America. There are a multitude of reasons that account for this increase.

Very often these are used to improve a patient's diagnosis. Sometimes insurance companies want these treatments to help quicken hospital stays. Sometimes hospitals want to provide these scans because they are expensive and add to their bottom line.

CT scans are used for a variety of reasons. They are often the best method to detect life-threatening conditions. Examples would include blood clots in the lungs, appendicitis, or bleeding in the brain. Regardless, pregnant women should see if any other test is would provide the necessary data prior to having a CT scan.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/rson-reo112007.php