Could Your Child Be Exposed To Unneeded X-Rays?

Children may be exposed to unneeded X-rays, according to findings that were presented in Chicago Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. 

"Chest X-rays can be a valuable exam when ordered for the correct indications. 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," said study author Dr. Ann Packard, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., via Health Day.

For the study, researchers examined the reasoning behind 637 chest X-rays given to patients ranging in age from newborns to 17 years at the Mayo Clinic between 2008 and 2014. They found that 88 percent did not influence treatment.

Researchers conducted X-rays on children with problems including chest pain, fainting, dizziness, cyclical vomiting, a general feeling of being unwell or under distress spells.

While chest X-rays showed no effect on treatment for any children when it came to fainting, postural orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, spells or cyclical vomiting, 39 percent of the X-rays for chest pain were positive for bronchial inflammation, pneumonia, trauma or other conditions.

"This study addresses both of these issues, which is important not only for physicians but also for young patients and their parents," she added, in a news release. 

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).