Medical Imaging Tools Compared - X-Ray vs. CAT Scan vs. MRI

Medicine Summaries
Disease Diagnosis

Medical Imaging Tools Compared
X-Ray vs. CAT Scan vs. MRI

Here is a summary of the main medical imaging tools that doctors use to look inside the human body.

Are CAT scans UNNECESSARY?
Oftentimes, yes.
The use of CAT scans is becoming far more common, without regard for the long-term effects, especially on children.

My grandson recently strained his neck in PE class. He was immediately given a CAT scan. I believe that ANY OTHER tool would have been preferable, avoiding massive radiation to the pituitary and thyroid glands. For years, we have known that x-rays cause cancer. How many years will it take to realize the effects of a technique that is equivalent to 100 to 1,000 x-rays, given ALL AT ONCE? 30 or 40 years.

. Diagnostic Imaging Tools Compared
	Sonogram	X-Ray	CAT Scan/ CT Scan	MRI
Approx. Date	1962	1896	1972	1977
Mode of Operation	Ultrasonic Audio Waves	Gamma rays	Gamma rays	Radio Frequency Waves
Ionizing radiation?	No	YES	YES	No
Typical Radiation Dose	-	1 chest x-ray	100 - 1000 chest x-rays	-
Resolution	Poor	Fair	Excellent	Excellent
Safety	Safe	Fairly Safe	Extremely Dangerous, esp. for children	Metal can become a missile. Dangerous dyes are used - gadolinium
Manufacturer	GE	GE	GE, Siemens	GE, Siemens
Cost	Low	Low	High	Highest
110 - 500	90	90	90	120

Medical Imaging Notes

1. CUMULATIVE - Ionizing radiation damage is CUMULATIVE. There is no "threshold" at which damage occurs. Scientists now concede that all radiation is dangerous.

2. DNA ALTERATION - Ionizing radiation can alter and destroy DNA and RNA, resulting in cancer many years later.

3. TIMEFRAME - Just as it took decades to establish that asbestos caused mesothelioma, it will take decades to positively establish that CAT scans induce MANY cancers.

4. CHILDREN - Children are far more sensitive to genetic and tissue damage, due to rapidly dividing cells. Techniques other than CAT scans are MORALLY preferred, if at all possible.

5. MODALITY - CAT scans cause more damage than any other medical diagnosis tool. This damage is hidden, and cannot be seen.

6. EXPEDIENCE - CASUAL ARROGANCE - Many doctors don't care about the long-term effects. Their interest is in covering their a** regarding the current situation. Since CAT scans provide very high resolution, there is a HIGH BIAS to always use them. Doctors are unconcerned what happens to the patient 40 years later - the doctor will be long gone. IN MOST CASES, an MRI is just as good, and far less dangerous. But arrogant physicians just don't care.

7. VARIATION - The radiation used in CAT Scans has been measured, and varies by a factor of 6.

8. MEASUREMENT - Radiation dose from CAT Scans is NOT EVEN measured during most scans. NOT EVEN MEASURED, even though it is massive and variable.

9. RECORD KEEPING - Databases that keep track of previous CT scans, are not common. It is very important to keep track of how many scans the patient has had, so that the cause of their future cancers can be known.

Glossary
CAT Scan	Computer Axial Tomography - same as CT scan
CT Scan	Computer Tomography Scan - same as CAT scan Computer Aided Tomagraphy
MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging
100	350 - 450

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Disclaimer: The above data was compiled from the net.
Please contact me if you find any errors.

This Vaughns Medical Imaging Tools Compared web page
was last updated on 2012-05-05.