I had a small revelation while doing some of my calculations. The big factor setting CT and Nuclear Medicine methods apart is the time difference. While CT can do its scans in seconds, Nuclear Medicine methods take a few hours. I initially thought that it was just a matter of convenience, but after considering it a little more I realized that the time a scan takes up might affect the patient's psychology. Doctors can immediately prescribe a patient a CT scan, but not always a Nuc Med scan. Nuc Med might not be available at night or during the weekends (depending on how extensive the Nuc Med department is at the hospital). If the patient's status isn't too bad, the doctor might give the patient an appointment the following day or week for a scan. The patient might be feeling panic and want immediate attention, or feel anxiety while waiting for or during the scan. From my experience at Mayo Clinic, there have been quite a few patients that have been upset about the time spent waiting or just sitting around.
A surprising source of information that I have found is "possible radiation exposure of people traveling to Mars". Apparently one of the rover on Mars has measured the amount of radiation it has been exposed to after going through a few storms. It has received about half a Sievert through the storms. In total, it has received 2/3s (.6666) of a Sievert. If humans were exposed to .6666 Sieverts, the rate of cancer deaths would increase from 21% to 24% (21% is from the national cancer institute). My coworker also says that my badge (checks for radiation absorbed) wouldn't probably receive a huge increase unless I went on a plane. Apparently cosmic radiation isn't a thing to scoff at (PRAISE OZONE).
Well that's all for this week (it was pretty short).
Until next time!
Hey Phillip! The statistics about the radiation measured were really interesting. I cannot believe that with an increased amount of a Sievert, the rate of cancer deaths would increase significantly. That's really scary!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the comparison between CT and Nuclear Medicine. Due to the differences in time of a Nuclear Medicine scan and CT scan, do you think that Nuclear medicine will still be used in the healthcare industry, and the benefits of Nuclear Medicine will be greater than the benefits of a CT scan?
In my personal opinion, I think that Nuc Med will be around for a while, but CT will still remain the dominant method used by most hospitals. I think that it is just too convenient and many doctors are used to the precise imaging generated by CT imaging. While there is somewhat of a health benefit, I think convenience will still outweigh it. I think it comes down to the patient's point of view and how much their time and health means to them.
Delete