Title of Journal Radiologic Technology

Volume 76.6 Date July-August 2005 Page Number(s) 415

What organization is responsible for publishing the journal you chose? The American Society of Radiologic Technologists

What is your overall evaluation of this article?

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Why did you choose to review this particular article?

I have an interest in pursuing certification in CT after I graduate from the x-ray program. This article discusses factors that limit dose to patients and factors that increase dose to patients which will be valuable knowledge for me if I become a CT technologist

How would you rate this article as a tool for teaching a student about cardiopulmonary physiology, radiography, or another allied health specialty?

Students: ____Poor ____Fair __X___Good _____Very Good _____Excellent

Teachers: ____Poor ____Fair __X___Good _____Very Good _____Excellent

Patients: ____Poor _X___Fair _____Good _____Very Good _____Excellent

· Comment on the readability of this article.

Course Topics covered: Whole body CT scanning, diagnosing of conditions by imaging procedures, American College of Radiology accreditation requirements, reducing patient dose

Brief Summary: This article discussed the practice of whole body CT scanning to “make sure” there is nothing wrong with people. He discussed how this is still going on in some places around the country despite negative publicity and questions about medical ethics in allowing this to happen. The risk of whole body CT scans is significant especially if one has them performed on a regular basis. The CT scanner is a huge contributor to radiation exposure. A CT scan “just to make sure” can result in a radiation dose to the patient from around 1 to 6 rad. The author discusses an earlier time in medicine when doctors made diagnoses according to their knowledge of medicine. He continues to say that now, diagnostic imaging takes much of the guess work out of making diagnoses. Now, many exams are performed “just to make sure” due to the threat of malpractice law suits against physicians and medical facilities. Because of this, several agencies have taken measures to help reduce dose to patients. The American College of Radiology has included dose measurement as a part of their accreditation requirements. The article gives acceptable dose limits according to the part of anatomy being scanned. The article states that CT techs should take it upon themselves to reduce patient does whenever possible. The article urges techs to use proper exposure factors (increase kVp when possible to reduce mAs), employ pediatric protocols whenever possible because little people require less radiation, and scanner dose should be monitored annually by a physicist. The more knowledge a tech has of CT techniques and equipment, the more they will be able to reduce dose whenever possible.

Identify and attempt to explain three (3) terms, procedures or concepts that were unfamiliar to you when reviewing this article. “Axial scanning” This means taking slices of the body, or being able to look inside the body as if you were able to cut it into slices. “Helical scanning” This means the image is produced by using a continually rotating x-ray tube along with table incrementation to reconstruct slices covering a set distance over the body. “Pitch” This is how far the CT table moves per slice while scanning.

Detail the strengths/weaknesses of this article. This article does not discuss any other imaging modalities. I also think it puts a negative light on people who have decided to get whole body CT scans and almost makes them look stupid.

How might this article be useful to you in your further studies and career? This article is helpful to me because of my interest in CT scanning. I think it encourages readers to be as knowledgeable as possible about protocol, technique, and equipment to “image as gently as possible.”

Does the article include a list of references/citations that can be used to find more information on the topics they cover? Yes

Your Name: Kathryn Parham Date: ___03___/__07____/__09___