/sci/ - Science & Math

>>9969857
they are both incredbily dangerous

MRIs are badass, perfectly fine so long as you don't have a ferromagnetic implant. It's all low-frequency, non-ionizing radiation and a large superconducting magnet. CT machines, on the other hand, have the cancer ghosts in them.

That said, if the doc needs to see what's up with your innards and recommends a CT, it's worth the minute risk to have a it done.

>>9969857
I live in a small town, in an agricultural county in Southern England. Even my hospital has an MRI machine. What the fuck, America, what the fuck?

CT is not dangerous in the doses you receive in any study.

t. radiologist

>>9969921
Not really true. Depending on where you have scanned you can receive a years worth of radiation in one dose, or more.

Whether you classify that as 'dangerous' or not, is up to you.

>>9969924
Whether or not I classify it as dangerous is based on my years of studying radiology. "One year of radiation" is not dangerous.

>>9969934
I don't give a fuck how many years of radiology study you have done, you don't get to determine whether or not a years worth of radiation is dangerous or not.

Statistically, it is unlikely to have any affect, but saying 'nah its all good its safe' is fucking retarded.

Go back to medical school.

>>9969917
You brits forget that your country is less than 1/50th the size of the US. Probably closer to 1/75th, maybe even 1/100th if you want to count every US territory(this estimate was pulled out of my ass but im willing to bet its not far off). That means we could have 50x as many MRIs in our country and still have to drive twice as far as you do to reach one. That said, theres no way OP lives in the US and doesnt have access to an MRI. I live in a town of 4,000 people and there are at least 2 MRIs within 15 minutes of me.

>>9969944
>1/50th the size of the US. Probably closer to 1/75th, maybe even 1/100th
That's a pretty big range there, bucko.

>>9969943
imagine thinking you know more about radiation safety than a radiologist

>>9969944
It's 1/40 even if you count every territory.

>>9969944
Also, your town is smaller than mine. We only have one. I feel ashamed now.

>>9969857

>>9969951
I didn't realize radiologists were so tetchy?

>>9969957
Fuck you, I was going to post that chart, but thought there wasn't any point since it didn't include MRI for comparison.

>>9969943
People who develop malignancies due to radiation are receiving much more than any study we perform. You are ignorant of my field so I will ignore you now and answer questions related to radiology from people who hold genuine concerns.

>>9969949
Theres also a pretty big range in land mass in counting the contiguous 48 United States, all 50 states(Alaska is fucking huge), and all territories owned by the US.

>>9969953
To be fair its not IN my town, we dont even have a hospital, but there is one in the cities to the north and south of us.

>>9969962
>all territories owned by the US
If you are including all territories the ratio actually goes down. The brits have a bunch of overseas territories.

>>9969951
Your answers have shown your considerable lack of knowledge about radiation safety, so its actually kind of embarrassing claiming that you're a radiologist.

>>9969959
If you fractured the 4th metacarpal head in a boxer's fracture 5 years ago, how likely is it to be perceivable on an X-ray? Secondly, would it also be useful to do a comparative X-ray between the left-hand and the right-hand as to certain any deformation in the skeletal structure of the right-hand?

>>9969964
15 minutes would even be a respectable travel time in the United Kingdom, let alone the United States.
I'm honestly impressed.

>>9969969
That might actually be as much as 6 years ago, just for a bit of clarity.

>>9969952
I googled it. Doesnt seem like that estimate counts territories that dont have statehood. I also found out that your country is smaller than 11 of our individual states. Either way, you get the point, England is a little bitch of a country by comparison. Saying things like “Why is there not an MRI down the block from you, America must be poor?” Is like comparing apples to freight trains. It’s something only a retard would do.

>>9969959
Incorrect. Again, you seriously should consider touching up on your study material.Thank you for not replying to me anymore so I can actually inform the thread.

A CT scan is relatively safe, but your relative harm increases depending on which area of your body you have scanned. Typically, a CT scan will expose you to the amount of radiation you will receive during one year of life (background radiation). Whilst this is clearly a minimal risk, to call a CT scan safe is absurd and I would question anyone who says such a thing, especially those trained in this area. Any credible specialist will never say such absurdities.

There is a very real risk of of developing cancer from CT scans (albeit very low), and there have been many studies comparing the increase risk of developing cancer from a single CT scan, and can be found simply through google (increased risk of cancer is in the range 1 person for every 1500-2000 people, clearly a low risk, but a very real one for those unlucky enough to have cancer develop as a result of their scan.)

>>9969978
It isn't, considering the magnitude of your GDP compared to ours.

>>9969917
OP here, I'm in rural Canada

>>9969978
The British overseas territories have more land area than Britain itself.

OP here again, I have to get a spinal CT

>>9969983
Its not though, our population density is lower. That means every MRI serves fewer citizens in the US than one does in the UK.

>>9969991
Google it. No matter how you slice it the UKs land mass is nowhere near the US. Besides, most US and UK territories have their own independently funded government, sometimes even with different currencies. For the arguements sake it doesnt make much sense to include them.
>hurr durr but you brought it up
Yes and i didnt consider what that all entails. Even you you want to count them(which you shouldnt) the point remains that the UK is tiny.

>>9969992
Not the 'radiologist' here. There are a number of charts online which will show you your average rad dosage for each body part. For a spinal CT, you're looking at around 6 mSv which is about 2 years worth of background radiation.

Again, the risks are very low, but not something that should be ignored. You need to weigh up the pros/cons of having the scan vs not having the scan. I imagine, if you have some serious issue with your spine, avoiding the radiation is worse than not having your spine issue addressed.

>>9970004
But not 1/50 1/75 or 1/100 tiny which is the entire point.

>>9970004
Imaging caring this much about how "big" your country is. The absolute state of nationalists.

>>9970010
Did you not see the part where I mentioned i pulled those figures from thin air with no research? Or are you just incapable of reading? Besides 1/50th isnt far off from 1/40th. The point that was being argued from the beginning is that not having and MRI down the street from me reflects more on how pathetic the UK is than it does on the US medical system. And before you flame me for that statement... Yes there is A LOT of problems with healthcare in the US, I dont think any sane person could make the argument that funding is one of those problems.

>>9970016
>we may have shit healthcare but think about the square footage
OK, sure.

>>9970015
See
>>9970016
Its not that i care about how big the country is, its that landmass directly affects distance to the nearest MRI more than people from the UK are capable of comprehending. Maybe next time you should read the thread first to prevent outing yourself as retarded.

>>9970026
>landmass directly affects distance to the nearest MRI
Just get more MRIs LOL.

>>9970016
>Besides 1/50th isnt far off from 1/40th.
t. engineer

>>9970022
Not what i said at all. Do they not teach you how to read in schools across the pond or are you just incapable of comprehnding complex topics?

>>9970029
For an off the top of my head guess involving millions upon millions of square miles? Yeah not bad.

>>9970028
>We're super rich! The world's greatest superpower!
>But we can't afford more MRIs, I mean, look how big we are!
So much cope.

>>9970030
>Do they not teach you how to read in schools across the pond
>comprehnding
Definitely an engineer.

>>9970032
Not really, it's called a guesstimate. It isn't like you're some AI actually calculating it all in a split second, you poof.

>>9970033
>nitpicking a missed “e”
Yeah, i will take that as an admission that the UK blows and you know it.

>>9969992
Is a doctor recommending the spinal CT, or do you just think you need one?

>>9970035
Why do you think i used the word “guess”? Man, for being the ones to invent the language we are using, you guys sure do suck at reading it.

>>9970039
Fucking hell, you're clueless. What happened to that super powerful mind? Lel.
Source:
>https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-highest-literacy-rates-in-the-world.html

>>9970043
The point was, it wasn't an impressive feat. Because it was a guesstimate. So much hypocrisy, for such a little brain.

Oh boy the schizophrenic CT fuck is back

>>9970042
Sciatica since last year. Doctor said it doesn't matter if I get it done or not since it's just pain and none of the alarming symptoms like incontinence, numbness, or weakness. I'm just posting this topic to get final thoughts before I make a decision about it.

>>9970045
Again, not the point being made. Way to broadcast your room temperature IQ for all the world to see.

>>9970044
See
>>9970054

>>9970051
Sorry dude, I have to live with the consequences of my actions. When people accuse me of being schizophrenic or paranoid about my health I tell them to pound sand because they're not the ones who have to face the repercussions.

>>9970054
Lmao, I love how you avoid the post where you got BTFO.
Do you always struggle to cope this much?

>>9970056
>Me care about how big ting is!
>We big, big, big!
>Look me, me made guess, me genius right?
>No, you dumb dumb!
>Me become militant now!
t. /sci/ shitlord

These autists arguing about landmasses are more retarded than the radiologist who doesn't even understand radiation

>>9970057
I never claimed to have almighty estimation powers, and thats not even part of the argument you are supposedly “BTFO”ing, read the thread you dunce.

>>9970051
>>9970058
>schizophrenic
Don't you both mean hypochondria?

>>9970059
Nice strawman. Unless you seriously consider “not bad” to be equivalent to “genius”, in which case you have written my insult for me. Congrats.

>>9970063
Why on the defensive? Did I hit a nerve?

>>9970065
>Unless you seriously consider “not bad” to be equivalent to “genius”, in which case you have written my insult for me. Congrats.
Lmao, when you're a sneering child, but overestimate just how much psychological terror you wield.
You're quire pretentious, for one so young.

>>9970052
It sounds like your doctor knows what he's talking about. You should listen to your doctor. The problem here isn't CT vs MRI, it's you getting scanned hoping that it shows something they can fix. Abnormal findings on MRI have been shown in studies not to correlate to pain in low back pain.

>>9969924
It really isnt. In the past people had x-ray parties where they would spend all night looking at their bones. That level then gave them cancer later in life. Even a few CTs a year won't be a huge issue.

>>9970079
>I'm uniformed and don't understand radiation damage

>>9969857
Don’t be a petty little bitch. If you are at the point where a doctor is trying to determine what is wrong with your innards, just take the scan.

>>9969857
It's safe until you used it too much

I am not the radiologist but actually an orthopedic surgeon that almost wanted radiology so i learned quite a bit in imaging physics.

These scans are simply a plain film x-ray that we take in a 5-7mm slice of your body, in a head ct this is typically 27(?) slices. The dose you receive is configured using models relative to your height and weight. Age and sex is also significant. More information about the OP and WHY he is getting g WHAT scan will make it easy to determine any significant risk. I am talking about height weight, age, sex, and whether or not you have something like neurofibromatosis or down syndrome (I am serious)

>>9970111
Insight of the century.

>>9970118 see >>9969969.
Thoughts?

>>9969893
wrong.

CT = xrays = ionizing radiation = dangerous
MRI = strong magnetic fields = not dangerous outside being a cyborg or forgetting to remove ferromagnetic materials

>>9970120

These are very common. You are asking if it would be found on an x-ray after five or six years? Did you have this treated at a hospital...? If not then there is more than likely a deformed knuckle remaining, otherwise only possibly. You wouldn't take an x-ray of your other hand, either. We know what your hand is supposed to look like and any anomaly would be screaming obvious. My subspecialty is actually hand surgery.

>>9970137
It was left untreated, as the attending medic at the martial arts tournament said it wasn't broken. But it certainly was, as my knuckle has changed positions and had I had (and still have to a lesser degree) impingement in the operation my finger (and hand to a lesser degree).
Although, the X-ray I had done apparently showed nothing? How is that possible when you can feel and see the difference?

>>9970144
It is possible that we would need to take A CT of your hand if you are adamant that something is wrong after diagnostic radiology determined there was nothing. These are safe and it would show beyond any doubt. The hand is a very complex and surprisingly delicate part of the body, definitely in the realm of orthopedics one of the most interestingz but this fracture is very common. Is it worth bothering with anymore? Even as a hand surgeon, I would say no after 5-6 years. If you allowed it to heal without proper treatment as they determined originally that there was no fracture, it has healed in such a way that to go in and try corrective surgery would be an expensive way to fix an insignificant problem. If it is truly impeding the use of your finger and hand to the point that it is lowering your quality of life, see a hand surgeon. I cannot in good conscience say anything one way or the other over the internet like this, as lame as that is.

>>9970176
>I cannot in good conscience say anything one way or the other over the internet like this, as lame as that is.
It isn't that much of an issue, now, true. The only real issue is grip strength, which can impact manual tasks and combative situations.
Honestly, I'm not sure what to do.

>>9970076
>gets trounced on two fronts
>claims to be winning and continues to argue while throwing low grade insults
That was painful to read.

nobody is going to operate your herniated disc until you have alarming symptoms
might as well avoid unnecessary radiation

>>9969857
Anyone care to explain why when I had my CT done my arm felt like it was about to explode.

>>9971110
Adverse reaction to contrast

>>9970131
>CT = xrays = ionizing radiation = dangerous
>tfw when you get an xray followed by a CT the next day

A-am I gonna make it bros?

To the radiologists in this thread, what do you think of the possibility of your job getting replaced by AI in the near future?

>>9969857
one question. i would love to do some fmri experiments but ive got metal in my leg. does that stop me. i swear that they dont use ferromagnetic metals for broken limb surgery? titanium etc. unless im wrong. my hopes of research are gone so all i want is to participate. but then if my leg stops me.... i guess eeg stuff is okay. or even cognitive testing.

>>9971653
What was the CT for?

>>9972602
Looking at thyroid region, nodules possible

OP here, should I get the CT or not?