Radiation Exposure from Diagnostic Imaging Among Patients with Gastrointestinal Disorders.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011 Nov 11;
Authors: Desmond AN, Mc Williams S, Maher MM, Shanahan F, Quigley EM
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: There are concerns about levels of radiation exposure among patients who undergo diagnostic imaging for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared with other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. We quantified imaging studies and estimated the cumulative effective dose (CED) of radiation received by patients with organic and functional GI disorders. We also identified factors and diagnoses associated with high CEDs. METHODS: We analyzed data from 2590 patients who were diagnosed with GI disorders, at a tertiary gastroenterology center from January 1999 to January 2009, based on ICD-10 and Rome III criteria. High annual CED and high total CED were defined as figures exceeding the 90 (th) percentile for the population. RESULTS: Diagnostic imaging was performed on 57% of the patients (1,429/2,509). High annual CEDs (>9.6mSv/annum) were independently associated with Cohn's disease (odds ratio [OR] = 5.3;P <.0001), organic small bowel disease (OR=2.6;P <.005), and functional disorders of childhood and adolescence (OR=9.8;P <.005). High total CEDs (>30.8mSv) were independently associated with Cohn's disease (OR=81.9;P <.0001), ulcerative colitis (OR=19.0;P <.0001), indeterminate colitis (OR=7.5;P <.0005), and the following non-IBD diagnoses: organic small bowel disorders (OR=12.5;P <.0001), organic hepatic disorders (OR=3.6;P <.01), and functional disorders of childhood and adolescence (OR=13.8;P =.02). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of annual and total diagnostic radiation exposure are associated with IBD and with other organic and functional GI disorders. Evidence-based guidelines for image analysis of patients with organic and functional gastrointestinal disorders-especially those that reduce radiation exposure-are needed.
PMID: 22083022 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]