CT Scan Children
Prepare Child for CT Scan
CT scan is said to be a very valuable tool to diagnose the children’s illness and injury. It can be a life saving tool. It is important for the parents to understand how they should prepare their child for the CT scan. A number of precautions need to be taken before the child is made to undergo scan.
CT scan is a technique to diagnose various diseases inside the body. Sometimes, children and infants may also have to undergo the same. CT scan of internal organs reveals detailed and closer images than the normal x-ray. The physicians use this method to detect any kind of abnormalities including cancer which might be present in any part of the child’s body.
Aim of Children CT scan- Children’s CT scan primary aim is to help in the timely diagnosis of infectious or inflammatory disorders, adnominal pain or any kind of injury present in the body so that the disease can be properly monitored. Even in case of prolonged head-aches, pneumonia, lung diseases, the CT scan proves to be helpful. In fact the multi detector CT scan makes it possible to give detailed as well as enlarged pictures of the heart and other blood vessels of the chest in the children.
Preparation for Children CT Scan- Make sure that your child is wearing loose clothes, and no jewellery, eye glasses, hearing aids or hair pins. Don’t let your child eat or drink anything before the exam. You should tell the physician if your child is taking any other medicine or is allergic to iodine or contrast materials. It is better to inform about any other illness that your child may be suffering from or if there is a family history of asthma, thyroid and diabetes.
The child may feel slight pain when intravenous contrast material is injected inside the arm. One of the patients may be asked to stay with the child inside the room. Motion may affect the quality of the scanned images so you should try to make your child lay still. Sometimes general anaesthesia may also be given to the child if he is too small. Sedation is also used but it depends upon the age and the part of the body being studied.
Risks involved in children CT scan- though the physicians take all the measures to make the child stay relaxed but still there is a fear that general anaesthesia may lead to complications. Children receive a higher dose of radiations when adult settings are used and so they run the risk of developing cancer even more times than the adults. Children should not be examined using the adult CT exposure scale. The physician should take lower resolution images in case of children. It is also important to avoid repeated CT scans.
Make your child aware that the procedure is simple and for his benefit, the machine will not hurt him.
What the Kids Need to Know About Cancer >>
<< Avoid Yelling On Kids and Help Them Grow Mature
COMMENT