MEDICAL IMPLICATIONS OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CAT SCANNING) .2.

Computed tomography [CT] is an important technical development in diagnostic radiology. CT of the brain is a primary diagnostic modality for disease of the CNS; its information yield is sufficiently high and thus obviates the need for secondary, more invasive diagnostic procedures. CT of the body is a 2nd-level diagnostic approach to viscera and anatomic areas for which many effective imaging technics are already available. Acceptable evidence of the efficacy of CT and in particular of its marginal contribution to diagnosis, its effect on the cost of medical care, on short-term health outcomes and on long-term health outcomes is not available. Acquisition of such data requires careful prospective studies in which the contribution of CT is clearly related to that of competing methods and the impact of additional diagnostic information is documented.