A subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee recently examined the benefits and possible risks associated with medical radiation, following recent reports of errors involving excess radiation.

Testifying on the safety of computed tomography, Cynthia McCollough, a professor of radiological physics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, told the committee's health panel that the "reality is that the risk of radiation injury from a CT scan is virtually non-existent. Patients and their loved ones should be concerned only about whether or not an imaging exam is needed to help the physician make the best possible diagnosis and treatment decision."

She said that without CT scanning, "there would be more unnecessary surgeries, such as for suspected appendicitis that turned out to not be appendicitis, more invasive diagnostic tests and less effective treatments. Before the advent of CT, exploratory surgery was not uncommon.

In his opening remarks, health subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-NJ, noted that the "benefits that we as a society have gained from these advancements are enormous. But we often forget the fact that we are still dealing with something that is toxic to the human body." He added that when "operating technology as powerful and dangerous as this, it is even more crucial that quality and safety are always front and center."

More safeguards coming. David Fisher, executive director of the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, which represents equipment makers, said CT makers this week agreed to include additional safeguards on their new products, which would alert facilities when pre-determined dose levels are exceeded and allow them to set upper dose limits to prevent scanning at higher levels.

He said most manufacturers will begin deploying the new features this year.