Table 1.
Overview of published reports about chromosome aberrations and gamma-H2AX foci induced by CT scans
| Method | Type of study | No. of patients | Age (year) | Gender (m, f) | Publication | Radiation effect of CT | Exposed dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma-H2AX assay: manual foci count | in vivo | n = 3 | 0.25–1.75 | m | Halm et al. (31) | Yes | Blood doses of 0.22–1.22 mGy |
| Gamma-H2AX assay: manual foci count | in vitro, in vivo | n = 51 | 0.1–12.2 | m, f (37:14) | Vandevoorde et al. (33) | Yes | Blood doses of 0.15–8.85 mGy |
| Dicentric chromosome assay: fluorescence plus Giemsa staining | in vivo | n = 10 | 0.42–15 | m, f (5:5) | Stephan et al. (21) | Yes (only in patients <10 years old) | Blood doses of 1.2–31.3 mGy |
| Micronucleated reticulocytes: flow cytometry | in vivo | n = 25 | 0–1.5 | m, f | Khattab et al. (14) | Yes (only in infants having prior CT scans) | |
| Gamma-H2AX assay: automatic, manual foci count and Dicentric chromosome assay: Giemsa staining | in vitro | n = 15 | 2–5 | m | Gomolka et al. (6) | Yes (and increased level of dicentric aberrations only after 978 mGy exposure compared to adults) | Blood doses of 0, 41 and 978 mGy |
| Micronucleated cytokinesis block assay | in vivo | n = 59 | 0–16 | m, f (42:17) | Ait-Ali et al. (25) | Yes (but CT examination represent only 11% of the total collective dose from various types of medical ionizing procedures) | 4.6–41.2 mSv |