4 ms·
CT is a great screening exam because it is cheap, quick and more readily available. MRI is much more specific in diagnosing problems in the brain and has a lot
by Shinkei 13y ago
CT is a great screening exam because it is cheap, quick and more readily available. MRI is much more specific in diagnosing problems in the brain and has a lot more 'features' that can be added to aid in diagnosis. So generally, everyone gets a CT and then moves on to an MRI if there is an abnormality... or if they fail to find an abnormality when the clinical exam remains abnormal/severe. There are a lot of exceptions... like in little kids, you should always avoid radiation when possible and people will go straight to MRI.
- j8hn 13y agoWhy is there such a big difference in patient price between a CT and MRI scan? My doctor told me to have a CT scan done but I am worried about the radiation. I feel that if an MRI was cheaper, then I would have been prescribed an MRI.
- ris 13y agoAsk them about the radiation dose in banana-equivalent, then be less worried.
- powertower 13y agoI'd rather get that back to me as a percentage compared to a Phone Booth filled with nuclear waste (but only 75% of the way up) while standing 13.43 meters away with the humidity levels at 95%.
- nate_meurer 13y agoYou're confusing CT scans with conventional x-ray images. CT scans deliver the radiation equivalent of hundreds of conventional x-ray images. The radiation dose is high enough to epidemiologically significant (meaning higher cancer rates in people who have been scanned, especially children).
- ris 13y agoBelieve me, I'm not confusing them - I just think it's significantly less risky than the parent does. And yes, there can be higher cancer rates in people who have a _lot_ of CT scans done e.g. because of a serious illness.
- pygy_ 13y agoThe MRI scanner requires more precautions and safeguards (being built around a 1+ tesla magnet), and acquiring images takes more time, thus more human resources. Edit: to illustrate ris' point (the sibling comment), check this XKCD chart, linked in the article: http://xkcd.com/radiation/ http://xkcd.com/radiation/
- jonknee 13y agoThe equipment and maintenance is much more expensive for MRI. The liquid helium bill alone for an MRI machine is not something you want to pay for.