Computed tomography (CT) is a special painless x-ray that helps diagnose a variety of diseases and conditions. It uses multiple small beams of radiation that pass through the body and are recorded on a plate that sits behind you. These images show up in black, white and shades of gray in many slices, like a loaf of bread, which allow us to view different parts of the body. At River ENT, we use a cone-beam CT scanner which involves a lot less radiation and takes only seconds to perform, fast enough to obtain pictures of a squirming 3-year-old without requiring sedation!
Radiation dosages
Did you know that you are being exposed to radiation no matter where you are? Radiation comes fromÂ
- The earth (terrestrial) via mostly radon, but also uranium, radium and thorium
- The sky (cosmic) via the sun and stars
- Your own body (internal) from potassium and carbon.
Each year we are exposed to an average of 3 mSv (millisievert) from these sources. (for more information click here: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/around-us/sources/nat-bg-sources.html)
Radiation should be avoided, but if a CT scan is recommended, know that a typical in office CT scan from Xoran Mini CT is 0.16 mSv for an adult and about 0.05 mSv for a child, much less than what you get from the earth!
| CT Type | Radiation dose |
| CT Sinus (cone beam, miniCAT) | 0.04-0.07 mSv Pediatric 0.17 mSv Adult |
| CT Sinus (Whole body multi slice) | 2 mSv |
| Chest Xray | 0.02-0.1 mSv |
| Mammogram | 0.4 mSv |
| CT Abdomen/Pelvis | 20 mSV |
