Blues Associated with CT Scan
Full body Computed Tomography or CT scan and Computed Axial Tomography CAT Scan, though common in the medical science, are not at all free of controversies. In fact, of late medical practitioners all over the world are raising their voices against these two types of scanning. The principal reason for reservation is the radiation that the scanner generates and its effect on human body.
A recent study has revealed that in most of the hospitals and nursing homes, patients are not even made aware of this potential risk and the other health hazards of CT scan. Even the centers that conduct best CT scan in Delhi or elsewhere are not free from this. Only 4 percent of the clinics make their patients aware of the danger. In fact, exposure to this radiation increases the risk of cancer by manifold. So, do these scanners actually help in the treatment of cancer or do they aggravate them instead? That is a million dollar question though.
Some observations about the potential risks
Surprisingly, 48 percent of the radiologists actually acknowledge the fact that there is a potential risk of cancer when a patient is subjected to CT scan. Others flatly pooh-pooh this claim blatantly, owing to some unknown reason. Maybe, they have the business of the makers of these machines at the back of their mind when confronting these queries. These 48 percent would recommend less harmful MRI scanning, which is much less harmful, as they do not emit any radiation as such. MRI scanners use magnetic waves along with radio waves, which do not have any impact on human body. Even if there are any side effects, they are superficial, temporary, harmless, and curable if taken care of.
If so, then why do doctors recommend CT scan, more so when they have the option of recommending harmless MRI scan indeed? In addition, why do doctors prefer CT scan, when MRI Scan has proved its superiority in detecting certain specific details of the internal organs? Again, there is no concrete answer to this question.
Perhaps, a commercial angle can be extracted out of this controversy, which may explain this rather strange behavior of certain sect of the medical practitioners, particularly against the backdrop of some nursing homes giving more emphasis on profit instead of the patients’ well being. Some clinics in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and other NCR regions fall under this category. However, one, which is regarded as one of the best CT scan centers in Delhi, would always recommend patients to opt for MRI scan instead of trying out CT scan.
Indeed, using a CT scan for the full body can be extremely alarming, from the point of view of health hazards. For every scanning session meant for the entire body, the generated radiation can be enough to increase the accumulated danger of cancer in the human body by as much as 8 percent. That means a person with only 1 percent likelihood of developing cancer will suddenly have 9 percent likelihood of developing the disease after one session of CT scan. Just take into account the increase of likelihood, if the person needs multiple sessions of whole body CT scan.
