Ultrasound imaging and CT scans are both common medical imaging techniques, but they operate on fundamentally different principles and involve very different types of energy. To understand whether ultrasound gives off radiation like CT scans, it’s important to explore what…
When comparing the amount of radiation exposure from a spine X-ray to that from a CT scan of the spine, the difference is quite significant. A standard spine X-ray exposes the patient to a relatively low dose of ionizing radiation,…
A 3D mammogram, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis, generally involves **more radiation exposure than a regular 2D mammogram**, but the increase is small and remains within safe limits regulated by health authorities. The combined radiation dose of a 3D…
A typical mammogram exposes a woman to about 0.4 to 0.7 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation per screening, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of natural background radiation a person receives in two to three months. Since many guidelines recommend…
A full-body PET scan is generally considered safe for most people. It involves injecting a small amount of radioactive tracer into the body, which emits signals detected by the scanner to create detailed images of how tissues and organs function.…
A PET scan for dementia involves a small amount of radiation, primarily from the radioactive tracer injected into the body to visualize brain activity. The typical radiotracer used is fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which contains a radioactive isotope called fluorine-18. This isotope…
When comparing the radiation exposure from a CT scan of the lungs to that from a PET scan, it is important to understand that these two imaging techniques use radiation differently and in different amounts. Generally, a **CT scan of…
A dental bitewing X-ray exposes a person to a very small amount of radiation, roughly equivalent to the natural background radiation we receive from our environment in about one day. This means the radiation dose from a single bitewing X-ray…
A CT scan is generally considered riskier for children than adults primarily because children are more sensitive to radiation and have a longer lifetime ahead during which radiation-induced effects, such as cancer, can develop. The radiation dose from a CT…
A CT scan used for trauma does involve exposure to ionizing radiation, and the amount of radiation can be considered relatively high compared to other imaging methods like standard X-rays. However, whether it is “high” depends on the context, the…