Imaging for head: CT vs. MRI

[perchance dreamer]

This past Monday I fell and hit my head in a bad reaction to a pain med. Since then I've had temporary dizziness when I raise up from a lying position.

My sleep doctor is also a neurologist, so I told his office, and they called in a head CT scan for me.

I have some hesitation because I've read of some recent reports saying that CT scans are more carcinogenic than previously thought. When I talked to a nurse at my doctor's office, she said it would take many CT scans to have that effect.

Maybe a CT yields some kind of info that an MRI wouldn't. Do you think I have reason to worry about what will probably be a one-time head CT?

Thanks!

 

[Tally]

As far as I know, CT is better for dense areas like bones, or for parts of the body that can't be still, for example around the hearts or lungs. I always insist on brain MRI because brain is neither.

Risk of CT is not big, but it's still a risk. Your age also matters. If you are in your 20ies the risk is as twice as much as if you are in your 40 ies.

Do whatever you can to get an MRI instead of CT but if you can't then don't worry too much about it.

Oh, and your nurse is wrong. Sure, the more scans you get the more significant the risk becomes, but that doesn't mean there is no risk, no matter how small it is.

Just an interesting note, a CT is anywhere between 100-400 times more radiation than a chest x-ray.

Still, I'm in my twenties and I had 2 CT scans and 4 MRIs so far.

 

[perchance dreamer]

Thanks, Tally. I will see if I can get an MRI instead of a CT. Also, I had a brain MRI in 2006, so they should be able to refer to that as a baseline.