Ccta Case

In the article "Down, Down, Down Methods to Reduce Dose in CCTA" (HealthImaging&IT, July/August 2009: 22-23), Justine Cadet points out the radiation exposure levels giving during a Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) exam could be lower if medical professionals used advanced technology, education, training, and best practices to reduce the dose giving during this exam.

Concerns that intentional radiation exposure during diagnostic medical exams has been the cause of cancer have increased awareness among the Insurance Companies and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some medical professionals feel that the valuable information obtained during the CCTA exam, outweighs the risk of receiving the radiation and possibly developing cancer later in life.

Studies show that CCTA exam dose levels vary by a wide margin. The variance of dose is due to technology and techniques applied during the CCTA exam. As the technology improves the dose for the CCTA exam is decreasing. Without the latest technology reducing dose through training and education techniques will likely be the key factors in reducing the dose of this exam.

Adapting techniques and training procedures to lower dose without affecting the quality of the exam are currently be studied. Sharing and applying the information gained through research will assist in reducing the dose for CCTA exam. An important factor that could be used to reduce CCTA exam dose is data sharing and feedback from institutions that perform the exams. It is hoped that in the future more medical professionals share ideas and data to reduce the dose of the CCTA exam. If the dose can be reduced, there may be less of a concern by the Insurance Companies and the FDA that this exam is inducing cancer in its patients.

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