Rules may help avoid excess CT scans

September 15, 2009 US researchers say too many young children are getting CT scans after a minor bump on the head. But CT scans expose children to radiation which can increase the risk of cancer.

A team of researchers reporting in the journal The Lancet has now set up a set of rules for spotting mild injuries that do not need CT scans.

Low-risk injuries involve no scalp swelling, no significant loss of consciousness and no palpable skull fracture. Severe accidents include car crashes in which the patient was ejected from the vehicle.