Answer to Question #15027 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Medical and Dental Patient Issues — Diagnostic X Ray and CT

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I am 58 years old. I have had many x rays throughout my life including routine dental x rays, stomach x rays with contrast when I was eight years old, weekly x rays for a broken collar bone at 14, x rays for a broken finger at 19, several x rays for a broken leg at 36, and a series of x rays a few years ago after a car accident. In addition, I had my first nuclear stress test at 44 and am due to have a second one this year. Spread out over 58 years, does this seem like a lot? What are your thoughts and opinions? Was I overexposed?

A

There is no reason to be concerned. Basically, there are three things to realize regarding exposure from diagnostic radiation.

The first is that the exposure is not cumulative, or additive. Any exposures which occurred some time ago have no impact on any exposures received today. Over 58 years you must have taken quite a bit of aspirin. If you ingested all of this aspirin at one time, it would, no doubt, be detrimental to your health, but spread out over 58 years, the body can handle it. The same is true of diagnostic radiation exposure.

Secondly, irradiation of one body part has no effect on another body part. You mention you suffered a broken collar bone and received weekly x rays at 14 and had x rays for a broken finger at 19. Any effect resulting from these exposures must be considered separately.

The last factor is the most important. It is the risk and benefit consideration of the exposure. For example, you mentioned two nuclear stress tests. These are most often performed to identify areas of decreased blood flow or heart damage. This identification is vital to minimizing the risk of heart disease. The risk from the small amount of radiation used for the test is far, far, far, overwhelmed by the benefit of the diagnostic information.

Joe Och, MS, DABMP, MRSE

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