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Old 28th Dec 2017, 10:58
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Qwikstop
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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I think it's useful to consider the absolute risks of developing cancer from undergoing a CT. To put this in perspective the lifetime risk of dying from cancer is about 20%. A single CT, at a relatively high dose of 10 mSv, increases the average patient's risk of developing a fatal cancer from 20% to 20.05%.

With a modern scanner, slim patient and good heart rate control we can routinely get the radiation dose to under 2 mSv for a cardiac study (CTCA).

This is why NICE now recommend CTCA as the first line test for stable chest pain of suspected cardiac origin. No test is perfectly accurate but the negative predictive value (ie to rule out significant coronary artery disease) is around 99%.
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