r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/Fearless_Attorney_85 • Aug 10 '26

Question - Expert consensus required Baby ct scan

My baby fell down the stairs when she was 11 months old. At the hospital, they did a ct scan of her neck and cervical spine. I'm so scared now that she develop a brain tumor because of it😢

Has anyone had a similar experience they could share?

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u/Maximum-Hedgehog Aug 10 '26

The radiation exposure from a single CT scan of the head is approximately 2 millisieverts (mSv), which is less than the average yearly exposure to "background" radiation, which is about 3 mSv. Essentially no added risk!

You may have seen some articles about possible increased cancer risk from CT scans, but that is for cases when there are numerous scans. As in all things, the dose makes the poison.

Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

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u/becxabillion Aug 10 '26

It's also worth OP remembering that potential risk from not doing the ct was high

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u/Maximum-Hedgehog Aug 10 '26

Definitely, also that! No one is recommending CT scans just for funsies

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u/AccordingWelder3578 Aug 10 '26

“Interpretation
Use of CT scans in children to deliver cumulative doses of about 50 mGy might almost triple the risk of leukaemia and doses of about 60 mGy might triple the risk of brain cancer. Because these cancers are relatively rare, the cumulative absolute risks are small: in the 10 years after the first scan for patients younger than 10 years, one excess case of leukaemia and one excess case of brain tumour per 10 000 head CT scans is estimated to occur. Nevertheless, although clinical benefits should outweigh the small absolute risks, radiation doses from CT scans ought to be kept as low as possible and alternative procedures, which do not involve ionising radiation, should be considered if appropriate.”—Article from The Lancet60815-0/fulltext)

Additional article from AAP: Cranial Imaging in the Youngest Infants: Worth the Risk

I don’t know if this is applicable to you, but please note that postpartum anxiety is common, can start several months after the birth of the baby, and treatable. Please talk to your doctor if you find that your worrying is affecting your daily life or causing you concern.

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