Pediatrics / Parents & Patients

Diagnostic imaging plays a fundamental role in modern health care: It helps guide doctors in the management of their patients, allowing more timely diagnoses and less invasive treatments. The rapid technological advances that have taken place in recent years have increased the indications of radiological examinations. Some of these examinations are obtained with the use of ionizing radiation, which implies a very minor but real risk related to radiation. This risk is higher in children than in adults and increases as the number of exams and / or the radiation dose used increases.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, when a child undergoes a radiological examination that is justified and is obtained with the appropriate technique, the diagnostic benefit is always greater than the risk. To achieve this, it is necessary that all those involved in the radiological process act in accordance with the principles of Radiological Protection: The clinician who prescribes the exam, the radiologist who performs and informs it, and the technicians who collaborate in the acquisition of the images. On the other hand children and/or their parents or caregivers must be informed about the radiological exam that will be carried out, the risks involved and the diagnostic benefits that will be obtained.

This section is aimed at pediatric patients and their parents or caregivers. It provides information that will allow them to understand the importance of Radiological Protection in pediatrics and contribute to the development of a culture of radiological protection for children in Latin America.

For more information: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/