How many CT Scans have you received?

I have coils in my AVM. I did one CT Scan this year, and I this 3 embolizations last year, and in each embolization they did CT scan to verify brain activity after the embolization. Now, I started to worry about radiation. So that is a total of 4 CT Scans in my life. I am starting to worry a lot about the effects of radiation, but then I found that

Head: 2 mSv, equal to about 8 months of background radiation

So, in other words, you still get the same radiation even if you do no CT Scan at all.

Anyway, I wanted to know how many CT Scans have you guys done?
Is it dangerous mostly in teenagers?
Or also in adults is it something that should be avoided at all possible costs?
CT Scans are used if there is a brain tumor, so I do not imagine the device used to treat brain tumors generating more brain tumors. Otherwise why would they use it?

Thanks!

I had 5

According to the FDA site, the risk increases very slightly, 1 in 2 000, that is with a 10 mSv dose.
in the head, they use 2 mSv dose, so does that mean the theoretical risk would be 1 in 10 000?

Here is the article:

Approximately 12 in the last 18 months

Because they are using me as a guinea pig for research, I’ve had a lot of CT scans abd others and yes radiation is definitely bad but from what I’ve researched, it’s not quite as bad as I thought. It’s scary and definitely avoid as much as possible but the increased cancer risk calculators I used showed an extremely small % chance of increased cancer risk (but it’s definitely still increased!)

If you have a choice (and your body is allowed to have an mri), choose an MRI over a CT scan as it has no cancer causing radiation at all

@rafarataneneces

I did my head in searching and worrying about this stuff too a year ago and went thru hundreds of studies but let me say this. It depends on what study from what year from what subjects from what part of the body was scanned that you wish to believe… the studies vary so much

As you’ve seen, the head gets one of the least amount of radiation compared to CT scans from other parts of the body so make sure you’re comparing apples with apples and reports/studies on head scans only if you really want info about brain risks

What I mean by that is depending what study you believe, a CT coronary angiogram receives between 10 and 16 mSv in one session. That’s up to 8 brain CT scans they are getting! So if you wish to research brain risks from brain CT, you need to research brain, not other types of CT scans on different parts of the body

It’s best just to know there IS definitely an increased risk and avoid it where possible obviously but have it when it is absolutely necessary and forget it as that’s all you can do

Risk vs reward

Too many to count

I would say about 8-12 total in the last year

I’ve looked into long term radiation side effects - I had to look away & stop reading

The 10 or so CT’s do not include the 4+ hour fluoroscopy that was used when my embolization was performed & not the follow up angiogram - or, the pre op angiogram I needed for the neuro team to form a strategy a day prior to my embolization.

I have had a total of 3 CTs, 2 within a couple days of my bleed and 1 Gamma Knife Day. So I haven’t had one since 2016. I have had a bunch of MRIs and 3 angios as well. Wow, some of these numbers are really high. John

I do not have the option of having an MRI. My surgery was in 1964 and I am unable to locate any data on the composition of the metallic clips. I have recently been reviewing my surgical reports from cold storage. It has been fascinating. I would be interested in hearing from people what they carry to inform emergency personnel. I simply carry a small photo of my CT scan showing the location of the clip.

I, too, have been wondering about the cumulative radiation exposure from CT Scans. At last count (which was just now, as I really had to think about it) I believe I have had somewhere between 10 and 15 scans… as well as 2 or 4 angiograms, and about 10 MRI’s. Because I have already had them, and they were mostly (or all) necessary, it seems mostly pointless for me to look up how much increased risk I have of developing cancer. However, I intend to avoid future exposure, as much as possible, .
It has been 5 years, almost, since my craniotomy, and I have been doing well, until I banged my head, hard enough to land me on my rear end, right at the corner of the bone-flap. Since then ( a couple of months) I have had some issues and concerns, so first had another CT scan, and then an MRI and a consult with my neuro-vascular surgeon. Everything is fine, and normal, and as we left it! So, maybe I just shook things up, and have to wait until they settle back down (kind of like a snow-globe ).
I am happy to be Canadian :canada:

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I think I’ve had 8 CT scans. Most of them to check on my brain but I remember 2 were from sports injuries and one after I had some glass in my elbow after a wreck.

I’ve had one CT scan and 4 Angio-CTs…all for my head. I was awake for the CT and the first Angio-CT as they hadn’t figured out what sort of anesthetic would work on a redhead. Seems I’m like my mom in that anesthetics don’t work as well and it takes more of it to knock me out. Quite an experience, to feel that scope snaking through my veins from my leg up to my neck…no pain at all but an odd feeling that defies description. When they put the dye in I saw it going through the capillaries in my eyes, then got an instant migraine with aura. Seeing the images of the veins in my head was interesting, I have one really big one going through the middle that corkscrews it’s way to the front. On a 2D image it looks like a complete loop.

I had 2 strokes, 2 craniotomy"s my first A.V.M. grew back. I was the first child in Chicago in 1975 to survive the 13 hour surgery"s. I have had about 45 CT scans. as I got older the female X-Ray techs would double up on the lead apron"s they put on me. I have had no problems. Just these pass years I started getting sick I am 58 now so they think it"s because I"m just getting older. I think so all so. I day of the day after the test I eat light, and no dairy that helped.