Name(s):
X-ray burns
Adverse effects of Roentgen rays
Complications of radiotherapy
Skin rashes from medical radiation
Radiation burns from radiotherapy
Radiation dermatitis
Nature
More and more, doctors are using special X-rays for diagnosis or to guide their medical procedures. But they are often insufficiently trained to monitor the amounts of radiation they give their patients. Radiation burns can even take time - even months - to become apparent, making them even more difficult to diagnose correctly. Excessive radiation exposure can result in a rash and then a hole in the flesh, injuries that can be disfiguring and painful. This is a small risk for any one individual but fairly significant public health issue.
Incidence
Severe skin injuries caused by fluoroscopy, a non-invasive technique which clears plaque from clogged arteries, a technique known as angioplasty. Besides cardiologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons and other medical specialists are increasing their use of fluoroscopy methods in their practice. Computed tomography, or CT, is an X-ray technique. It is estimated in the USA that 1,500 of the 1.6 million children below age 15 who get CT scans annually will eventually die from cancer. There is notably a significantly increased risk of leukaemia in children who had two or more CT scans. The main problem is that many children who get CT scans are receiving an excessive amount of radiation - adult doses.
Counter-claim
The benefits of medical procedures involving X-rays significantly outweigh the known risks. But he adds lowering X-ray doses in some cases and better monitoring of doses can go a long way to reduce some of the risks. Continuing medical education will become very important.