Reduction in Radiation Exposure to Children and Young People from CT Scans

In Australia, many children and young people under the age of 20 have a computed tomography (CT) scan each year. CT is a valuable diagnostic tool, providing doctors, dental practitioners and other health professionals with non-invasive, fast and accurate information to help diagnose serious injury and illness and inform treatment.

CT scans are of benefit in a wide range of clinical situations – they provide a diagnosis in an emergency situation where immediate imaging is required, or when high quality bone detail is necessary to assess complex fractures or planning for surgery. However, these benefits also come with increased exposure to ionising radiation.

International evidence has indicated that exposure to ionising radiation potentially increases cancer risk. A 2013 study¹ has indicated that there is a higher risk of a person developing cancer in later life if they were exposed to ionising radiation from a CT scan as a child. This evidence confirms the importance of ensuring that imaging is only performed when clinically necessary, at radiation doses as low as possible.

Resources

To support a reduction in unwarranted radiation exposure to children and young people from CT scans, the Commission has  a range of resources and is also promoting existing resources to inform the referral and provision of CT scans for children and young people. This work, originally funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, was undertaken in consultation with the states and territories, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), medical colleges, professional bodies and peak groups that work in the area of child health.

These resources include:

• Brochure – What you need to know about CT scans for children: resource for parents and carers
• Poster – Talk to your doctor about… Your child and CT scans
• Brochure – CT scans for children: information for referrers
• Brochure – Cone beam CT scans in oral health care for children and young people
• Poster – Talk to your dentist about… Your child and cone beam scans
• Frequently asked questions – CT scans for kids
• Commission Report – Reduction in Radiation Exposure to Children from Computed Tomography Scans (RiRECCTs) Project Summary Report
• Video presentations from RiRECCTs workshop held 24 August 2015.

View CT Resources

To support all people involved in the CT patient journey, the Commission partnered with Healthdirect Australia to establish a web page – www.healthdirect.gov.au/ctscansforkids, dedicated to hosting resources on CT scanning for children and young people, and includes sections for parents and carers, referrers, medical imaging providers, dental practitioners and patients.

ARPANSA also has developed a national online Radiation Protection of the Patient (Medical Imaging Safety) Module for referrers. This module deals only with radiation safety, with the aim of supporting clinical practice.  

^1. Mathews JD, Forsythe AV, Brady Z, Butler MW, Goergen SK, Byrnes GB, et.al, Cancer risk in 680,000 people exposed to computed tomography scans in childhood or adolescence: data linkage study of 11 million Australians. BMJ.2013;346:2360.