Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
CT scans were created with the intention of having many positive effects. One beneficial
effect is that they provide many medical advantages that other scans do not provide.
They administer a rapid acquisition of images, a wealth of clear and specific information,
and a view of a large portion of the body. CT scans scan extremely quickly, so the results
can be seen immediately, which can allow for emergency surgeries and ultimately save
lives. [2] Although CT scans were created with the intention of just having positive
effects, there are also negative effects. The biggest con that comes with CT scans is the
radiation. They deliver radiation with much higher doses than regular x-rays, so it can
make people extremely sick. It also increases the possibility of developing cancer with
each CT scan you get. [3] This negative effect greatly affects society. With an
increasingly amount of people getting CT scans each year, the percent of cancer in the
population is also increasing. Society continues to get CT scans, and therefore increase
their chance of getting cancer. With cancer being the second leading cause of death in
the United States, the fact that it is increasing even more will affect society
detrimentally. People will continue to get diagnosed and this will tear apart families and
therefore start a chain of reactions that will negatively impact the society that we live in.
CT scans uses data signals from x-rays to provide the scans. A set of digital x-ray
detectors use these signals as they leave the patient and transmit them to a computer.
Each time the x-ray completes one cycle, the CT computer produces a 2D slice of the
patient, using the data signals and mathematical techniques. When a slice is completed,
the image is stored in the computer and can be displayed either individually, or stacked
together to create a 3D image. The 3D image can then be rotated or be viewed as slides
in succession, allowing the problem to be located easier. [4] The data that is used for CT
scans also raise data security and privacy concerns. Medical information, such as the
data collected from CT scans, can be incredibly valuable to criminals. The information
gathered can be easily accessed by people other than the doctors. Due to this, your data
records can be altered or sold to third party companies. These companies can then
display your information to the public or use it as advertising, all without your
knowledge or consent. [5]
[1] Hage, Stephen. "CT Scans." Encyclopedia of Surgery. N.p., 2018. Web. 23 Jan. 2018.
<http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Ce-Fi/CT-Scans.html>.
[2] Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and American College of Radiology
(ACR). "What Are the Benefits of CT Scans?" RadiologyInfo.org. N.p., 2018. Web. 23 Jan.
2018. <https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=safety-hiw_04>.
[3] Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "Medical X-ray Imaging - What Are the
Radiation Risks from CT?" U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Center for
<https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/
MedicalImaging/MedicalX-Rays/ucm115329.htm>.
[4] Department of Health and Human Services. "Computed Tomography (CT)." National
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. U.S. Department of Health and Human
<https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/computed-tomography-ct>.
[5] Snell, Elizabeth. "Health Data Privacy Concerns Arise with Precision Medicine."
<https://healthitsecurity.com/news/health-data-privacy-concern-arise-with-precision-medicine
>.
University of Florida. Lung and Esophageal Cancer. Digital image. UFHealth. N.p., 24 Aug.
CT SCAN. Digital image. BDM Imaging Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2018.
<http://bdmimaging.com/images/procedure.gif>.
Healthwise Staff. CT Scan of Damaged Kidneys. Digital image. WebMD. N.p., 21 Aug. 2015.
<https://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/media/medical/hw
/h9991197.jpg>.
CT Scan vs. Ultrasound. Digital image. Diffen. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2018.
<https://static.diffen.com/uploadz/f/f5/ct-scan2.jpg>.