THURSDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography delivers a higher mean effective radiation dose than conventional angiography, according to a study in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Karl R. Karsch, M.D., and colleagues from the Bristol Heart Institute in the U.K., compared the effective radiation doses from conventional angiography and MSCT coronary angiography using a 16-slice scanner in 91 patients referred for angiography.
The researchers found that the mean effective dose for MSCT angiography was 14.7 mSv compared with only 5.6 mSv for conventional angiography. This translated into a fatal cancer risk of 1 in 1,400 for MSCT angiography compared with 1 in 3,600 for conventional angiography, according to the report.
"The mean effective dose for MSCT coronary angiography was significantly higher than that for conventional angiography," Karsch and colleagues conclude. "As MSCT cardiac scanners become increasingly available, operators must be aware of the radiation dose and the factors that affect it."
Abstract
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