What does CT scan for pregnant women check?

CT examination is a medical examination method. The examination method is convenient, rapid and relatively safe. However, even so, CT examination has certain taboos. For example, people with asthma, renal insufficiency, and heart disease should avoid CT examination. So, can pregnant women undergo CT scans?

In general, pregnant women are advised not to undergo MRI, CT and other imaging examinations, especially chest X-rays, because the personal radiation dose of a chest X-ray is between 0.60-4.85msv, which is much greater than the personal radiation dose of a chest X-ray. Especially in the early stages of pregnancy, you need to be more cautious. After 28 weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women should not rashly undergo CT examinations unless the life of the pregnant woman or the baby is in jeopardy.

For the same location, the X-rays emitted by the radiation source during a CT scan are almost the same as the radiation intensity of 10 X-ray films. Therefore, it is best not to do CT examination. The necessary condition for CT examination is that it should be done only when it is absolutely necessary.

If you really have to undergo a CT scan, pregnant women must inform their doctors, take certain precautions, use lead clothing to protect their abdomen, and try to complete the examination as quickly as possible. The impact of CT examination on the fetus is related to the time and position of direct exposure. Compared with direct exposure to the pelvis, abdomen and other positions close to the fetus, the impact is smaller when projecting positions such as the chest, hands and feet that are some distance away from the fetus.

There are many areas in the hospital where equipment contains radiation sources, such as some imaging areas. Doctors working there will be exposed to radiation sources for a long time. Although radiation sources will not cause any serious harm to the doctors' bodies, there will still be certain effects, just relatively small. So, will there be any effects on pregnant women in the CT room?

Is it harmful for pregnant women to be in the CT room?

Unless it is long-term contact, it is not likely to cause any problem. The personal radiation dose of a CT scan is about 10-14msv, which has little impact. If you are worried, you can do regular checkups on time, so that you can find out the baby's development status as early as possible, and generally there will be no impact. However, if you work in the CT room, it will affect the baby in your belly, because many instruments have radiation sources, it is recommended that pregnant women do not work in the CT room during pregnancy.

Common problems of CT scans for pregnant women

1. If the examinee is a pregnant or breastfeeding woman, she must inform the nuclear medicine physician in advance to facilitate effective supervision and examination and minimize unnecessary harm.

2. Pregnant women and breastfeeding women should avoid PET-ct examinations because their immunity is weaker than that of ordinary people.

3. If the examination is necessary due to medical conditions, the patient should be fully informed of the possible effects on the fetus and be required to sign an informed consent form.