Cat scans more likely for white children | theGrio

Cat scans more likely for white children | theGrio: White children are more likely than black or Hispanic children to be given CT — or “Cat” — scans when arriving at hospital emergency rooms with minor head trauma, a study has found.

Children with the most troubling symptoms, like changes in mental functioning or signs of skull fracture, received CT scans at relatively high rates regardless of race, the researchers reported. But among children at low risk of trauma, 17 percent of non-Hispanic whites received scans while only 10 percent of black and Hispanic children did.

The study, published this month in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, suggests that white children may be getting unnecessary scans and may be exposed to unnecessary radiation.