The Risks of Scanning

Nayer Khazeni, M.D.

The saying "what you don't know can't hurt you" in modern medicine could apply to a trend in healthy adults receiving full body or cardiac CT (computer tomography) scans. In addition to radiation risks, unnecessary CT scans can expose you to a host of problems - from risks of invasive biopsies to aggressive treatments for misdiagnosed cancers.

When ordered by your doctor in the proper setting, any risks of CT scans are far outweighed by their potential benefits. They are one of modern medicine's greatest diagnostic tools, used to examine any part of your body and, increasingly, to guide minimally invasive procedures previously performed with surgery.

SFGate.com