Study Finds Most Head X-Rays Are Not Needed

X-rays are unnecessary for people who suffer minor bumps and bruises on their heads, and at least half of all emergency room head X-rays could be safely avoided, a researcher has concluded.

“At a knee-jerk level at most hospitals, if you fall and bump your head, you get a series of skull X-rays,” said Dr. Stuart J. Masters. “Many physicians are reluctant not to take head X-rays, because they are afraid of missing a fracture and getting sued.”

Even for people with severe head injuries, X-rays provide little useful information, and physicians should concentrate on obtaining CAT scans or getting patients evaluated by neurosurgeons, he said.

X-Rays for Trivial Mishaps

Masters said that hospitals routinely X-ray people with head injuries, even though three-quarters of the mishaps are trivial. These include such complaints as bumps, bruises and cuts, along with headaches and dizziness.

Masters calculates that between 50% and 70% of the 2.4 million head X-rays taken in hospital emergency rooms each year are not needed. Head X-rays typically cost between $75 and $150, so reducing their frequency could save millions of dollars, he said.

The study, conducted by Masters and Philip M. McClean of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.