Benefits and Risks – Chest CT Scan

Benefits

• CT is fast, which is important for patients who have trouble holding their breath.
• CT scanning is painless, noninvasive and accurate.
• A major advantage of CT is its ability to image bone, soft tissue and blood vessels all at the same time.
• Unlike conventional x-rays, CT scanning provides very detailed images of many types of tissue as well as the lungs, bones, and blood vessels.
• CT examinations are fast and simple; in emergency cases, they can reveal internal injuries and bleeding quickly enough to help save lives.
• CT has been shown to be a cost-effective imaging tool for a wide range of clinical problems.
• CT is less sensitive to patient movement than MRI.
• CT can be performed if you have an implanted medical device, unlike MRI.
• CT imaging provides real-time imaging, making it a good tool for guiding minimally invasive procedures such as needle biopsies and needle aspirations of many areas of the body, particularly the lungs, abdomen, pelvis and bones.
• A diagnosis determined by CT scanning may eliminate the need for exploratory surgery and surgical biopsy.
• No radiation remains in a patient's body after a CT examination.
• X-rays used in standard CT scans have no immediate side effects.
• Low-dose CT scans of the chest use a lower dose of radiation than conventional chest CT.

Risks

• There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis will generally outweigh the risk.
• The effective radiation dose for this procedure varies.
• Women should always inform their CT technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant.
• CT scanning is, in general, not recommended for pregnant women unless medically necessary because of potential risk to the baby.