Asked by Raheela, Colorado My son, who is now a healthy 3-year-
old, had six or seven head CT scans along with two MRIs and some
X-rays for a head injury he had when he was just 11 months old.
I am very concerned about this new study regarding CT scans
causing risk to cancer in future. Did we put our son at risk
because of those CT scans? Living Well Expert Dr. Jennifer Shu
Children's Medical Group Thanks for your question. I am glad to
hear that your son is healthy after his head injury. Head
injuries can be difficult to evaluate in young children because
they do not always show the symptoms of internal bleeding (such
as headaches, seizures and vision problems) that may be more
obvious in older children and adults. The risk of having a brain
injury go undiagnosed and untreated must therefore be balanced
with any radiation risks from tests such as CT scans. To help
answer your question, I consulted with Dr. Rick Woodcock, a
neuroradiologist at Atlanta Radiology Consultants and director
of MRI at St. Joseph's H