Imaging Safety

Vantage Radiology encourages the public to be informed when making health care decisions. Many radiology exams utilize radiation, which should be considered in determining proper care for an adult or child. Vantage Radiology monitors its radiation doses based on physicist recommendations and guidelines established by the American College of Radiology. The practice is also committed to using only the latest technology and proper shielding to reduce radiation exposure.

A variety of radiology examinations utilize radiation to capture images. These studies include:

• Computed Tomography (CT)
• Nuclear Medicine
• Fluoroscopy
• Mammography
• Bone Densitometry (DEXA)

Common exams that do not use radiation include:

• Ultrasound
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Most often, radiologists can lower radiation doses when performing an exam on a child based on their weight. Because children are smaller than adults, it takes less radiation to penetrate their body and generate quality images. For example, the radiation dose for a CT exam on a child can be reduced by 5 times that used on an adult. Members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology have worked with the American College of Radiology to provide radiologists clinical guidelines for imaging children. Vantage Radiologists operate under these strict guidelines and are specially trained to limit radiation exposure.

Patients are encouraged to ask physicians about alternative methods of diagnosis that do not use radiation such as ultrasound or MRI. However, there are many situations in which CT or x-ray is the only or far superior way to obtain the information needed. In such cases, Vantage Radiology and Diagnostic Services believes the benefit of the exam far out weighs the minimal risk associated with radiation.

Please refer to the chart below for more detailed information.

Dose Reference Card