It’s always important to get whatever testing is necessary
done. In healthcare a test may reveal a number of things. Patients may discover
they are in perfect health, or they may discover that they could be victims of
a complex condition. Diagnostic
imaging procedures are often times the best way to not only discover
conditions but also to treat them. As with anything, there is a possibility
that diagnostic imaging procedures could be over used. Physicians don’t always
overuse X-Rays, CT Scans, MRI Scans, but there are
occasions when the scans are far from the correct form of testing.
Sometimes a test may reveal something that’s normal as an
indicator that something’s wrong. Other times a test may not detect hard to
discover symptoms that lead to a more serious condition. Complex conditions
that are harder to spot may lead to serious problems and eventual death.
Pulmonary Embolism is the kind of problem that when treated late can have a 30%
to 35% mortality rate.
A pulmonary embolism is defined as a blockage in one or more
arteries in the lungs. Here are some facts about pulmonary embolism:
- A pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots traveling from other parts of the body.
- Pulmonary embolism is a complication of deep vein thrombosis.
- Pulmonary embolism can be life threatening.
- When detected and treated early, the risk of death can be greatly reduced.
- The best way to treat it is with anti clotting medication.
So it’s fair to ask what constitutes misuse, or
inappropriate testing. In terms of CT scans for pulmonary angiography, there is
a lot of apparent inappropriate testing conducted in the emergency room. A high
number of CT’s are ordered and they often yield a negative result for pulmonary
embolism. A big part of the problem is that this CT is considered to be an
accurate method of testing but it does not necessarily spot pulmonary embolism.
According to statistics there is only a 10% to 20% detection rate.
Part of the problem with this test is the fact that
physicians want to take every avenue necessary when they suspect a hard to spot
condition such as pulmonary embolism. Even after educational efforts to reduce
the misuse of testing, there is still a spike in misuse. While there is a
chance that this may change, chances are that there will be more problems in
the years to come.
If you have any questions regarding diagnostic imaging
procedures please feel free to give us a call. We here at Clermont Radiology
look forward to answering any questions that you may have.
Charla
Hurst
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