BMJ  2007;334:1006 (12 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39205.757870.47

Views & reviews

Personal view

CT scanning: too much of a good thing

Associated Radiologists, Nashua, NH 03060, USA

On 30 August 2005, coming off a mostly sleepless night of on-call which mainly involved reading computed tomography (CT) scans in the emergency room, I received the phone call all parents dread. My ex-wife was on the phone, sobbing and telling me that our 23 year old daughter had been hit by a car while jogging and was in intensive care in a large, prestigious hospital with a head injury.

When I arrived at the intensive care unit, Molly was conscious but suffering from altered sensorium. Given the miracles of modern picture archiving and communication (PACS), I was able to review her radiological studies at her bedside with her nurse almost immediately. I realised that her injuries, although serious, would not be life threatening. She had had a basilar skull fracture, a severe concussion, pubic rami fractures, and a severe left knee injury. No immediate intervention would be required except . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Browning, J G, Wilkinson, A G, Beattie, T (2008). Imaging paediatric blunt abdominal trauma in the emergency department: ultrasound versus computed tomography. Emerg. Med. J. 25: 645-648 [Abstract] [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Too much CT

John P Coffey
bmj.com, 12 May 2007 [Full text]

Reply to Dr. Coffey

Steven Birnbaum
bmj.com, 17 May 2007 [Full text]

Re. CT scanning: too much of a good thing

Masoom Muttalib
bmj.com, 21 May 2007 [Full text]