Safer Scans for Pregnant Women

Reported December 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- It's hard enough being pregnant, but for some women, what happens during pregnancy can put their and their baby's life at risk. A simple scan at the hospital could increase the chance of developing cancer. Now, a new scan is making it safer for doctors to help pregnant women who are in pain.

University of North Carolina radiologist Richard Semelka, M.D., is using MRI to help safely see inside a pregnant women, keeping the baby free from the risks of radiation.

"MRI uses magnetic waves and radiofrequency energy, and CT uses X-rays in order to generate the images," Dr. Semelka, of University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, tells Ivanhoe.

CT scans increase cancer risks in both the baby and the mother, but now new studies show MRI is safer and just as accurate.

Dr. Semelka has diagnosed breast cancer, ovarian cysts, kidney stones, bowel problems and appendicitis with the MRI. He was able to see an enlarged appendix in one woman and remove it before it ruptured, saving her and her baby.

A CT scan takes about five minutes and MRI lasts for an hour, but doctors are working to create an faster MRI.

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 647-UPMC (8762)
(800) 533-UPMC (8762)
upmcweb@upmc.edu

Ben Stein
American Institute of Physics
for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine
(301) 209-3088
bstein@aip.org

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