A 32-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with mixed type neurocardiogenic syncope and used to have epileptic seizures 4-6 times per day, admitted to emergency rooms with headache, dizziness, syncope, and post-ictal syndromes, and was exposed to high doses of radiation will be discussed in this study together with radiation overdose. Despite her diagnosis was certain, due to inadequate uptake of the medical history and incomplete physical examination, the patient had a total of 112 computed tomography scans within the past 36 months, 80% of which were performed in emergency services. Our purpose of presenting this case is to draw attention to the fact that treating patients in emergency services without learning full medical history of patients and without completing proper physical examination may prompt more detailed investigation then required. To our knowledge of the literature, there is no other case admitted to the emer-gency rooms due to syncope and exposed to such high doses of ionizing radiation.
Published in | Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 1, Issue 1) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18 |
Page(s) | 47-50 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Radiation Overdose, Syncop, Computed Tomography Scan, Emergency Department
[1] | Baskerville JR Screening patients with multi-detector computed axial tomography (MDCT): when will we inform patients about the risk of radiation? Emerg Med J, 2008; 25(6): 323–324. |
[2] | Heilman RS CT: time to face the facts. Radiographics, 2006: 26(4): 1133. |
[3] | Hughes J. CT: Radiation overdose? Radiol Technol. 2008; 80(1): 92-4. |
[4] | Yoshizumi TT, Nelson RC. Radiation issues with multidetector row helical CT. Crit Rev Comput Tomogr. 2003; 44: 95-117. |
[5] | Brenner D, Hall E. Computed tomography – an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med. 2003; 357: 2277-2284. |
[6] | Lee CI, Haims AH, Monico EP, Brink JA, Forman HP. Diagnostic CT scans: assessment of patient, physician, and radiologist awareness of radiation dose and possible risks. Radiology, 2004; 231(2): 393–398. |
[7] | Wiest PW, Locken JA, Heintz PH, Mettler FA Jr. CT scanning: a major source of radiation exposure. Semin Ultrasound CT MR, 2002; 23(5): 402–410. |
[8] | Linton OW, Mettler Jr FA. National conference on dose reduction in CT, with an emphasis on pediatric patients. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2003; 181: 321 - 9. |
[9] | Rice HE, Frush DP, Farmer D, Waldhausen JH; APSA Education Committee. Review of radiation risks from computed tomography: essentials for the pediatric surgeon. J Pediatr Surg. 2007; 42(4): 603-7. |
[10] | Hall EJ, Brenner DJ. Cancer risks from diagnostic radiology. Br J Radiol.2008; 81(965): 362-78. |
[11] | Berrington de Gonzalez A, Mahesh M, Kim KP, Bhargavan M, Lewis R, Mettler F, Land C. Projected cancer risks from computed tomographic scans performed in the United States in 2007. Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169(22): 2071-7. |
[12] | Mettler FA Jr, Wiest PW, Locken JA, Kelsey CA. CT scanning: patterns of use and dose. J Radiol Prot 2000; 20: 353-9. |
[13] | What’s NEXT? Nationwide Evaluation of X-ray Trends: 2000 computed tomography. (CRCPD publication no. NEXT_2000CTT.) Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Department of Health and Human Services, 2006. Mettler FA Jr, Wiest PW, Locken JA, Kelsey CA. CT. |
[14] | Paterson A, Frush DP, Donnelly LF. Helical CT of the body: are settings adjusted for pediatric patients? AJR Am J Roentgenol 2001; 176: 297-301. |
[15] | Berrington de Gonzalez A, Darby S. Risk of cancer from diagnostic X-rays: estimates for the UK and 14 other countries. Lancet 2004; 363: 345-51. |
[16] | Giles J. Study warns of ‘avoidable’ risks of CT scans. Nature 2004; 431: 391. |
[17] | Işık Z, Selçuk H, Albayram S. Bilgisayarlı Tomografi ve Radyasyon. Klinik Gelişim Dergisi, 2010; 23(2): 16-19. |
[18] | Smith-Bindman R, Lipson J, Marcus R, Kim KP, Mahesh, Gould R, Berrington de Gonzalez A, Miglioretti DL. Radiation dose associated with common computed tomography examinations and the associated lifetime attributable risk of cancer. Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169(22): 2078-86. |
[19] | Berrington de Gonzalez A, Mahesh M, Kim KP, Bhargavan M, Lewis R, Mettler F, Land C. Projected cancer risks from computed tomographic scans performed in the United States in 2007. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Dec 14; 169(22): 2071-7. |
[20] | Brenner DJ, Elliston CD, Hall EJ, Berdon WE. Estimates of the cancer risks from pediatric CT radiation are not merely theoretical. Med Phys 2001; 28: 2387-8. |
[21] | White KS. Helical/spiral CT scanning: a pediatric radiology perspective. Pediatr Radiol 1996; 26: 5-14. |
[22] | Slovis TL, Berdon WE. Panel discussion. Pediatr Radiol 2002; 32: 242-4. |
[23] | Lee CI, Haims AH, Monico EP, Brink JA, Forman HP. Diagnostic CT scans: assessment of patient, physician, and radiologist awareness of radiation dose and possible risks. Radiology 2004; 231: 393-8. |
[24] | Brenner DJ, Hall EJ. Computed tomography-an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med. 2007 Nov 29; 357(22): 2277- 84. |
APA Style
Behçet Al, Suleyman Ercan, Suat Zengin, Vedat Davutoglu, Hasan Kiliç, et al. (2013). Computed Tomography Scan Radiation Overdose: a Case Discussion of Recurrent Neurocardiogenic Syncope Underwent to 112 Brain Computed Tomography Scans in Three Years. Science Journal of Public Health, 1(1), 47-50. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18
ACS Style
Behçet Al; Suleyman Ercan; Suat Zengin; Vedat Davutoglu; Hasan Kiliç, et al. Computed Tomography Scan Radiation Overdose: a Case Discussion of Recurrent Neurocardiogenic Syncope Underwent to 112 Brain Computed Tomography Scans in Three Years. Sci. J. Public Health 2013, 1(1), 47-50. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18
AMA Style
Behçet Al, Suleyman Ercan, Suat Zengin, Vedat Davutoglu, Hasan Kiliç, et al. Computed Tomography Scan Radiation Overdose: a Case Discussion of Recurrent Neurocardiogenic Syncope Underwent to 112 Brain Computed Tomography Scans in Three Years. Sci J Public Health. 2013;1(1):47-50. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18
@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18, author = {Behçet Al and Suleyman Ercan and Suat Zengin and Vedat Davutoglu and Hasan Kiliç and Remzi Yigiter}, title = {Computed Tomography Scan Radiation Overdose: a Case Discussion of Recurrent Neurocardiogenic Syncope Underwent to 112 Brain Computed Tomography Scans in Three Years}, journal = {Science Journal of Public Health}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {47-50}, doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20130101.18}, abstract = {A 32-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with mixed type neurocardiogenic syncope and used to have epileptic seizures 4-6 times per day, admitted to emergency rooms with headache, dizziness, syncope, and post-ictal syndromes, and was exposed to high doses of radiation will be discussed in this study together with radiation overdose. Despite her diagnosis was certain, due to inadequate uptake of the medical history and incomplete physical examination, the patient had a total of 112 computed tomography scans within the past 36 months, 80% of which were performed in emergency services. Our purpose of presenting this case is to draw attention to the fact that treating patients in emergency services without learning full medical history of patients and without completing proper physical examination may prompt more detailed investigation then required. To our knowledge of the literature, there is no other case admitted to the emer-gency rooms due to syncope and exposed to such high doses of ionizing radiation.}, year = {2013} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Computed Tomography Scan Radiation Overdose: a Case Discussion of Recurrent Neurocardiogenic Syncope Underwent to 112 Brain Computed Tomography Scans in Three Years AU - Behçet Al AU - Suleyman Ercan AU - Suat Zengin AU - Vedat Davutoglu AU - Hasan Kiliç AU - Remzi Yigiter Y1 - 2013/03/10 PY - 2013 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18 DO - 10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18 T2 - Science Journal of Public Health JF - Science Journal of Public Health JO - Science Journal of Public Health SP - 47 EP - 50 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-7950 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20130101.18 AB - A 32-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with mixed type neurocardiogenic syncope and used to have epileptic seizures 4-6 times per day, admitted to emergency rooms with headache, dizziness, syncope, and post-ictal syndromes, and was exposed to high doses of radiation will be discussed in this study together with radiation overdose. Despite her diagnosis was certain, due to inadequate uptake of the medical history and incomplete physical examination, the patient had a total of 112 computed tomography scans within the past 36 months, 80% of which were performed in emergency services. Our purpose of presenting this case is to draw attention to the fact that treating patients in emergency services without learning full medical history of patients and without completing proper physical examination may prompt more detailed investigation then required. To our knowledge of the literature, there is no other case admitted to the emer-gency rooms due to syncope and exposed to such high doses of ionizing radiation. VL - 1 IS - 1 ER -