December 3, 2010 - A new study reports that the use of computed tomography (CT) in the nation’s emergency departments is growing exponentially. If the growth trend continues, by 2011, nearly 20 percent of all emergency department (ED) visits may involve a CT exam. The results of this study were presented at the 2010 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting and published online and in the journal Radiology.

“It is not surprising that CT utilization has increased,” said lead researcher David B. Larson, M.D., MBA, director of quality improvement in the department of radiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. “What’s surprising is the sustained high rate of that growth. However, recent developments, such as increased awareness of cost, radiation concerns, national health care reform legislation and the economic recession, are likely to inhibit further growth."

Larson’s research team used data collected by the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1995 through 2007 to identify nationwide trends associated with CT use in the ED. The researchers performed statistical analysis on a mean of 30,044 ED visits from each year over the 13-year period to estimate overall usage of CT in the ED.

“We have seen a remarkable growth in CT utilization, not only in the number of ED visits that involve CT imaging but in the percentage of patients walking into the ED that receive a CT,” he said.

According to the analysis, the number of ED visits that included a CT exam increased from 2.7 million in 1995 to 16.2 million in 2007, a 5.9-fold increase and an average growth rate of 16 percent per year. The percentage of ED visits involving a CT exam rose from 2.8 percent in 1995 to 13.9 percent in 2007.

“CT is a wonderful technique that is widely available,” he said. “Over the 13 years in our study, image resolution improved significantly, making CT a great tool to look for kidney stones, appendicitis and coronary artery disease.”

For much of the 13-year period studied, headache was the complaint most commonly associated with a CT exam in the ED. But by 2007, headache was surpassed by abdominal pain as the complaint most often associated with CT imaging. In 2007, patients with abdominal pain represented 12.8 percent of all ED visits involving CT.

CT exams to investigate abdominal pain have a higher radiation dose than CT exams used to determine the cause of a headache. The study found that, overall, the use of CT for complaints that are typically related to exams with a higher radiation dose grew faster than those typically related to exams with a lower radiation dose. This suggests that the radiation dose associated with CT in the ED may be growing at a faster rate than the growth in the overall use of CT.

In 1995, a patient visiting the ED with chest pain rarely received a CT exam. But by 2007, chest pain was the third most common complaint in the ED associated with CT imaging.

“Our emphasis now should be on carefully evaluating the use of CT in specific situations and making sure it is used appropriately,” Larson said.

For more information: www.radiology.rsna.org/


Related Content

News | Artificial Intelligence

July 17, 2025 — HOPPR, a secure AI development platform for medical imaging, has announced the commercial release of its ...

Time July 17, 2025
arrow
News | Breast Imaging

July 17, 2025 — RadNet, Inc., a provider of high-quality, cost-effective diagnostic imaging services and digital health ...

Time July 17, 2025
arrow
News | Focused Ultrasound Therapy

July 15, 2025 — Newswise —The UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer UK have announced a new partnership ...

Time July 16, 2025
arrow
News | Digital Radiography (DR)

July 10, 2025 — Fujifilm Healthcare Americas Corp. has launched several advanced automated functions for its FDR ...

Time July 10, 2025
arrow
News | Computed Tomography (CT)

July 01, 2025 — NANO-X Imaging Ltd. recently announced a clinical and educational collaboration with Keiser University ...

Time July 03, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Imaging

June 26, 2025 — FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc., a provider of ultra-high frequency ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging ...

Time June 27, 2025
arrow
News | PET-CT

June 19, 2025 — Building on a collaboration that spans more than three decades, GE HealthCare has renewed its research ...

Time June 19, 2025
arrow
News | Imaging Software Development

June 12, 2025 — GE HealthCare has announced the combination of GE HealthCare’s proprietary features and algorithms with ...

Time June 12, 2025
arrow
News | Radiology Business

The issue of sustainability in healthcare has gained increasing focus over the past several years. During a 2022 plenary ...

Time May 06, 2025
arrow
News | Lung Imaging

April, 15, 2025 — Optellum has entered an agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb to leverage AI in early diagnosis and ...

Time April 17, 2025
arrow
Subscribe Now