Patient's question:
I want to ask what impact would five brain CT scans have on a child's body. Then, I had another brain CT and a 24-hour EEG. The doctor said everything was fine. When the child was 1.5 years old, they fell and hit the back of their head, so another brain CT was done. After a week of treatment, the doctor asked for another scan. In total, there were five brain CT scans and one EEG.Past treatment and outcomes: No specific treatment was mentioned.
Help needed: I want to ask what impact would so many brain CT scans have on the child's future health?
Doctor's answer:
First, many times CT scans are indeed necessary and should be done. You should be grateful that the little baby has no major issues, rather than regretting the examination. Because without the scan, you wouldn't know the result.Second, although CT scans do involve radiation, nature also has background radiation, and the amount is not small. The radiation level in airplanes is much higher than on the ground, but you wouldn’t stop flying because of this.
Third, the harm of radiation is mainly caused by prolonged or high-dose exposure. Occasional multiple CT scans don’t need to be overly worrying.