The use of CT in hospital emergency departments has increased at a higher rate than in other settings, which is bad news for associated radiation exposure, according to a study from Cincinnati Children‘s Hospital presented at the RSNA meeting.

The study was also published online today in Radiology (November 30, 2010).

David Larson, MD, and colleagues examined nationwide trends and factors associated with CT use in the emergency department using data from 1995 to 2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys. A mean of 30,044 visits were sampled for each year, and data were subcategorized according to multiple patient and hospital characteristics.

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