CAT scans vs MRI scans

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by Monticore

PET/CT is not as readily available at least around here, for staging it is the gold standard for most CA I would assume but MRI has the advantage of not using radiation. Our CT vendor said that CT’s cause 2% of all CA in the US , didn’t fact check that but figured the guy trying to sell us his equipment would lie a bout that , doses are getting lower every year though .

CT has just become such a crutch for doctors it often over prescribed, if I have already located and sized a kidney stone or confirmed an appendicitis on ultrasound you do t really need the CT , but they still order it.

Accumulated dose is an overriding factor in medicine. About 20 years ago, I attended my first dose reduction conference. It really opened eyes about the technical factors used and taught to end users. Just after the turn of the century, end users were using a one size fits all technique. Even for children. Images were incredible. Just outstanding.
And nobody thought much about dose. Since that conference, we worked with a group from Duke University setting up pediatric weight based protocols reducing dose by 75%.

As for the 2% claim, I’d like to see what that’s based on. The risk/benefit factor plays a large role in CT usage. And yes, while you can localize a stone in renal pelvis or lower pole with US, a urologist wants to be sure it hasn’t made its way down to the UPJ or deeper before navigating a wire into the ureter and following that with a rigid scope. Or a flexible scope into the kidney. Delicate surgery, that.