Study Shows Majority of Pediatric Chest Radiographs are Unnecessary

Written by Ronny Bachrach on January 22, 2015. Posted in Digital Radiography and PACS, DR, Hardware

While medical imaging is essential to diagnosing and treating injuries and health conditions, repeated or unnecessary scans can put patients at risk of overexposure to radiation. This is especially true with pediatric imaging, as children's growing bodies are particularly susceptible to side effects from X-rays.

Study examines efficacy of chest radiographs
The annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North American is currently being held in Chicago, Illinois, as health care providers gather to discuss hot button topics in the industry. Recently, many have focused on the Image Gently campaign that was started with the help of the American College of Radiology.

In an attempt to educate radiologists on the dangers of unnecessary chest exams for younger patients, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, conducted a retrospective study on radiographs that were performed from 2008 to 2014 on children aged newborn to 17 years old, Diagnostic Imaging explained. Led by Ann Packard, M.D, a radiologist at the facility, the team wanted to assess common indications for the scans and determine if the images affected clinical management.

"Chest X-rays can be a valuable exam when ordered for the correct indications," Packard said in a release. "However, there are several indications where pediatric chest X-rays offer no benefit and likely should not be performed to decrease radiation dose and cost."

Packard and her colleagues reviewed 719 cases, with 82 excluded due to congenital or other heart diseases. They found that approximately 88 percent of the remaining subjects did not have their clinical treatment altered by chest radiographs. In addition, roughly 12 percent of the X-rays for chest pain were positive and included signs of respiratory illness symptoms, such as cough or fever.

Because the exams did not impact treatment, the Mayo Clinic researchers determined that the vast majority of chest radiographs for child patients are largely unnecessary.

Improving pediatric imaging regulations
To help radiologists follow the right guidelines for conducting scans on children, researchers from Image Gently developed a checklist of critical steps in diagnostic radiology workflow.

"Technologists who do pediatric radiography all day, every day probably don't need to use this for their own education and verification of their quality," said Susan John, M.D., professor of radiology at the University of Texas Medical School, quoted by Radiology Today. "But there are many, many more technologists that do radiography on pediatric patients only occasionally. It is that group of technologists that this is targeted to because it's going to be much harder for them to remember the steps that are different in pediatric radiography from adult radiography."

For example, John explained that the use of grids is an important factor in reducing pediatric radiation exposure. Many smaller patients' body thickness is less than 10 to 12 centimeters, and radiologists do not need to use the grid for an exam. Doing so could increase the radiation dose that an individual is exposed to.

Health care providers concerned with unnecessary scans should review the Image Gently tool checklist, viewable on the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Contact Viztek for more information.

Ronny Bachrach

Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC
Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.
Ronny Bachrach
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