Many medical imaging procedures have no or very low radiation dose. It is important to know why you need an imaging exam and to discuss which exam will best answer the medical question at the lowest radiation dose. These advancements have reduced radiation exposure while still providing high quality images necessary for diagnosis. This has led to many advancements in medical imaging. Regardless of the disagreement, the studies are valuable in the sense that they raise awareness of how important it is to minimize a patient's radiation exposure. Some experts argue the study authors' methods have too much uncertainty for the results they report.

lack the beneficial information derived from the imaging scanĪlso, many experts question the way the study authors use statistical models for judging the radiation risk involved.

do not give the reason the patient had the scan.

do not provide direct radiation exposure measurements for each patient.

For instance, some studies about CT scans: There are many limitations with these studies. You may have heard news stories about studies that show a link between having imaging exams and developing cancer. It is very important to tell your new doctor, the imaging technologist, or radiologist if you are pregnant before having an exam that uses radiation. This can help your doctor make an informed decision. If you have had frequent x-ray exams and change healthcare providers, it is a good idea to keep a record of your x-ray history for yourself. Computed tomography (CT), interventional radiology, and nuclear medicine exams may each use a modest amount of radiation. A radiologist may want to consider your history of radiation exposure before recommending a procedure. Other imaging exams may use larger amounts. For exams that use a small amount of radiation (i.e., chest x-ray), this is generally an easy decision. The medical decision to have an x-ray exam weighs the likelihood of benefit against the potential risk from radiation. When an exam is required to assess your health, it is important to remember that the benefits of the exam greatly outweigh any risk. Most routine imaging exams have a small amount of radiation exposure, or low radiation dose. An imaging exam is done only when a doctor feels it is necessary for a diagnosis. Your doctor uses these images to diagnose and treat your health condition. Here are 15 vintage images of X-rays at work over the decades.Radiologists and x-ray technologists are trained to use the smallest amount of radiation necessary to obtain x-ray images. These and other effects can be cumulative, picked up fatally second by second through several years.”ĭespite the danger, however, the judicious use of X-rays allowed great medical progress in diagnosis and treatment alike-not to mention numerous non-medical uses.

A few seconds’ exposure could cause temporary and possibly permanent sexual sterility, as well as severe blood changes.

“A man exposed to strong enough rays for a few minutes would die within a few months. In the early days, X-Ray technicians would often burn themselves or suffer from overdoses of radiation.”X–rays are literally death rays,” TIME declared in 1941. Some of that photography was for scientific reasons, and some not so much. In the decades that followed, many more images would follow Roentgen’s wife’s hand. 5, 1896-that an Austrian newspaper first reported Roentgen’s discovery. As TIME later reported, Wilhelm Roentgen, the scientist who devised the process, took a picture of his wife’s hand “to make her appreciate the work he was doing and forgive him for having slighted her cooking.” The way the story goes, one of the earliest X-ray photographs ever taken (at left here) was not made for particularly scientific purposes.

Phototime in xray