At a time when Americans receive far more diagnostic radiation than ever before, two cases under scrutiny in California underscore the risks that powerful CT scans pose when used incorrectly. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recently disclosed that it had mistakenly administered up to eight times the normal radiation dose to 206 possible stroke victims over an 18-month period during a procedure intended to get clearer images of the brain. At Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata, the other case has led to the revocation of an X-ray technician's state license for subjecting the child to more than an hour of CT scans.
