The use of medical imaging in the United States has increased a lot over the last two decades, and imaging rates during pregnancy have not been quantified in a large, multisite setting… until now. A retrospective cohort study was performed at six integrated health care systems in the United States and Ontario, Canada, over the course of a 21-year period. Researchers analyzed 3.5 million pregnancies and reviewed the use of advanced imaging including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), conventional radiography, angiography and nuclear medicine. They found that during this period from 1996 to 2016, CT rates increased four-fold in the United States and doubled in Ontario, Canada. Findings were recently published in JAMA Network Open.
During pregnancy, most women receive routine ultrasounds (delivering no ionizing radiation) that monitor fetal growth….
