Does CT have any effect on pregnancy?

I believe that everyone often worries about the health of the baby in the belly because of various pregnancy checkups. In fact, during pregnancy, some people need to do CT. Although the frequency of CT rays is high, it is also rich in radiation. However, some CT scans are specifically for pregnant women, so this type of CT scan will not cause harm to the body of pregnant women.

“Setting things right” regarding radioactive examinations such as X-rays and CT scans.

doubt:

Does radiology examination involve radiation?

It is introduced that radiological examinations mainly include three categories: X-ray, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MR). X-rays and molybdenum targets that are common among ordinary people belong to X-rays. The main examination items of CT include CT plain scan, CT enhancement, and CT intervention. The main examination items of MR include MR plain scan, MR enhancement, and MR angiography. X-rays and CT scans do cause radiation. The radiation dose of CT scans is greater than that of X-rays, but MRI scans do not cause radiation.

Specifically, because different types of radiation have different energies, and different body tissues absorb different amounts of radiation, in order to facilitate quantification, people defined a unit called sievert (Sv). In medicine, millisievert (mSv) is generally used to measure harmfulness, 1 Sv = 1000 mSv. Generally speaking, if a person lives a normal life, the amount of radiation he or she receives in a year is about 3 millisieverts. The radiation dose of a low-dose spiral CT scan is only 0.1 millisievert. As equipment becomes increasingly advanced, examinations take shorter time and the radiation exposure is getting lower and lower. "Even for the more complex coronary CT angiography, due to advanced equipment, it is no longer a retrospective scan, and the radiation dose has been reduced by 82%. The radiation for each examination is also controlled at around 1 millisievert. The radiation from taking an X-ray is even smaller, about the same as taking a flight, at only a few tenths of a millisievert." With such a radiation dose, safety can be guaranteed.

Which pregnant woman can undergo X-ray, CT or MRI examinations? What to watch out for

Myth:

1. Will radiological examinations during pregnancy lead to fetal malformations?

Many expectant mothers stay away from radioactive examinations, always worrying about whether they will cause fetal deformity, mental retardation or even miscarriage. In particular, some expectant mothers, without knowing the status of their pregnancy, take a chest X-ray and then, worried that it will affect the baby, have an abortion. Doctors need to "seek an explanation" for these "commonly accepted" views.

Experts said that doctors only recommend examinations for pregnant women when their lives are in danger and CT scans and other tests are necessary. Special care will also be considered for special groups in medical treatment, and radiation exposure for pregnant women and children should be reduced as much as possible. When pregnant women and children need to be exposed to radiation examinations, protective measures such as lead plates will be placed on sensitive areas such as the abdomen. In addition, current advanced instruments also have the function of automatically reducing radiation exposure.

Which pregnant woman can undergo X-ray, CT or MRI examinations? What to watch out for

2. Are newborns not suitable for radiological examinations?

In addition to pregnant women, many parents also have certain concerns about whether their children can undergo radioactive examinations, always feeling that the radiation from radioactive examinations will affect their children's growth and development.

Explain that some diseases must also be examined using radioactivity. For example, if a child has a foreign body in his or her bronchus, X-rays are the only way to check the disease. If the X-ray is not done, the doctor will not know that the child has a foreign body in his or her bronchus, and giving the child an infusion from an anti-inflammatory perspective will not solve the problem. For more difficult diseases, doctors recommend CT scans. For example, in cases of congenital heart disease, if it is a large blood vessel malformation, it can only be discovered through CTA examinations. Of course, when examining children, they will also be given enclosures and low-dose treatments.

Which pregnant woman can undergo X-ray, CT or MRI examinations? What to watch out for

3. Does taking more X-rays increase the risk of cancer?

"Every time you take a chest X-ray, there is a chance of getting cancer." Many people think that entering the radiology department is like entering a "danger zone" filled with radiation. Ju Shenghong pointed out that this is an overly conservative or overly sensitive perception. Although X-rays have a certain killing and destructive effect on biological cells, the glass and walls in the examination room are isolated from radiation, and there are professionals monitoring the radiation level in the room during a certain period of time, so the radiation level is negligible. Even if there is a certain amount of radiation, it has little impact on human health and should not be "demonized".

Special reminder: Pregnant women and children need special attention

It is particularly emphasized that when a disease is life-threatening and can only be diagnosed through radiological examinations, the benefits of the examination far outweigh the impact of the minimal radiation.

Which pregnant woman can undergo X-ray, CT or MRI examinations? What to watch out for