Statistics have indicated that many children in The US are undergoing DIPs (Diagnostic imaging procedures).

In fact, every year the number of children who undergo this is on the rise. So what is diagnostic imaging and what are its benefits? Is it good or is it bad? Diagnostic imaging refers to procedures that doctors use to look inside the body of children or adult patients. The doctor will use a variety of methods and machines to look inside the body. These procedures are increasingly being used in the US. One of the most common methods is when the doctor attaches a tiny camera to along tube, which is then passed through a body passage to view the internal organ of the body for example, the heat or the lungs.

Importance of diagnostic imaging procedures

According to a report that was released in December 3 by Doctors Lounge, it showed that many children in the US are undergoing many DIPs. In the year 2012, this number rose higher. It was revealed that more than 200,000 procedures were carried out on 60,000 children in the US. It was also disclosed that many male children are likely to undergo many procedures more than the female children of their age.

When the internal organs of the body are suspected to have a problem, then the carrying out of DIPs is inevitable. It becomes very important for the doctor to find a way to diagnose the problem. The good news is that with the kind of advancement in medical technology that the world is enjoying today, it is becoming increasingly easy to carry out DIPs without any risk of undue exposure to radiation. The reduction of risk in most of the procedures that are used on children perhaps explains why diagnostic imaging for children continues to become so popular. If the numbers should on Dec 3 2012 is anything to go by, we can be sure that there are going to be more DIPs carried out on children in future.

Are there any dangers associated with Diagnostic imaging for children?

Yes, there are some dangers, especially due to the exposure to radiation. While there are so many benefits of diagnostic imaging and while it may have revolutionized the medical industry, there is a downside to it. It may lead to the development of cancerous cells in the body. While everyone wants to do away with the normal X-ray, what they may not know it CT scans and other procedures will expose them to more than 50 times, even up to 500 times more radiation than the X ray.

No matter how you look at it, you will have to agree that diagnostic imaging leads to higher radiation proportions and eventually to higher dangers especially in the inpatient emergency rooms. However, all the same, these procedures are sometimes inevitable and they will even help save lives. For example, they come in very handy when there are intestinal injuries or infections or when there are head injuries. With research going on all the time, the degree of exposure will hopefully be minimized or eliminated all the same.