Trends of Computed Tomography Scan Usage among Adults and Children in Yazd Province, Iran, before the Outbreak of COVID-19

Excessive use of computed tomography (CT) has become a worrying issue due to the potential risks corresponding to the radiation exposure.

This study was to investigate trends in CT usage in Yazd Province, Iran.

Patients were categorized in regard to sex and their age into two general groups, pediatrics (<18 years old) and adults (≥18 years old) ), each group fall into multiple subcategorizations. The performed CT scans have been classified into six categories, based on the anatomical area of interest, including head/neck, chest, spine, abdomen-pelvis, extremities, and CT angiography (CTA). The data were collected for the period 2015–2018.

The number of CT scans province increased by the compound annual growth rate of 11%. We found points to the growth rate of CT was higher in men than in women. Across the procedures, head/neck by an average contribution of 52% to all the CT scans was the most frequently examined region but spine examinations have decreased by 32%. More than half of the scans are performed on people over the age of 90 and among age<18 years old, most CT scan rates are related to 13-18 years old children.

The number of CT services is clearly increasing in Yazd. Some increase may be warranted because of improvements in the diagnostic power of CT. The estimated number of pediatric CT scans has more than past. Due to the risk of cancer, efforts should be made to reduce unnecessary CT scans.