j.jacr.2011.10.005
Sarabjeet Singh, MD, Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, James H. Thrall, MD, Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD
According to recent estimates, close to 7 million to 8 million CT examina-tions were performed for various pedi-atric clinical indications per year in the United States [1]. Children are nor-mally more susceptible to radiation-related risks because of greater organ ra-diosensitivity and a longer life span to potentially develop radiation-induced carcinogenesis [2]. Although there are uncertainties regarding the lack of sub-stantial data on the long-term radiation risks at dose levels associated with CT scans, it is still our responsibility to limit the amount of radiation used to only what is absolutely necessary. In this ar¬ticle, we review various strategies for re¬ducing radiation dose associated with pediatric CT examinations.