Trends of CT Utilization in North America Over the Last Decade

Given the improvements in technology and usefulness of CT for diagnosis and therapeutic-planning, the growth in CT utilization is not surprising. Current estimates are that more than 85 million CT scans are performed annually (Prochaska G, Latest IMV CT survey shows hospitals seek to improve productivity to manage increased outpatient and emergency CT procedure volume). However, this increasing trend has prompted increased publicity and concern over the risks of radiation exposure (Cedars-Sinai investigated for significant radiation overdoses of 206 patients, LA Times October 10, 2009; Radiation Concerns Rise with Patient’s Exposure, The New York Times June 12, 2012). Recent research has focused on which patient populations are “at risk” for high radiation exposure and what efforts can be undertaken to decrease this risk. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.