Medical Radiation Safety

If your doctor has recommended a CT (computed tomography) scan, he/she needs more detailed information than a plain X-ray can provide. A CT scan combines X-ray images taken from different angles and uses computer processing to create highly-detailed images (or “slices) of tissues, bones and blood vessels. CT is sometimes the only type of medical imaging exam that gives doctors the complete information they need to make the right diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan.

The ability of a CT scan to create these exceptional diagnostic images is based in part on using more ionizing radiation than conventional X-rays use. Although the radiation levels of a CT scan are considered safe, Carolina Radiology is committed to balancing the benefits of CT in diagnosis, treatment planning, and image-guided interventional radiology procedures with medically-sound practices for keeping radiation exposure to the minimum necessary dose.