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I went to my yearly Appointment I was told at my appt, chest X-ray was normal .No active COPD and or any disease.I ask how is that possible and ask to have a CT test done as none of my X-ray had supposedly shown anything but normal (2020 CT showed Occasional tiny calcified granuloma noted at the lungs along with minor linear atelectatic change and/or scar at the lung bases. After he told me he would not send me "I quote because of radiation exposure", I responded I will accept the risk. No was all he said. I decided to go to the clinic I had my x-ray done. I collected my 4 chest x-rays on a cd and went home to view them. I was shocked by the results, I could see the right lung had a partial collapse in my 2019 x-ray. In my 2023 x-ray you could see the change(i could tell in my total volume from PFT test) On 2020 xray report stated perihilar peribronchial thickening unchanged from 2019.
But 2019 reported Normal chest examine. I am not looking to be diagnosed just a simple question.
My question is how often can you have a chest/lung CT scan safely done.
Replies to "I went to my yearly Appointment I was told at my appt, chest X-ray was normal..."
There is a radiation burden for CT scans, but modern machines have cut that far below earlier ones. The answer to "... how often can you have a chest/lung CT scan safely done..." is in the words of my pulmonologist, "as often as medically necessary, balancing the probability of finding answers against the risk of exposure."
Many of us with active lung disease may end up with 3-4 scans per year in early stages, fewer as we become stable. When first diagnosed, I had 3 in a year, cut back to 2 per year until stable. My pulmo would like no more that one every three years now unless there is evidence of progression - either by exacerbations or on an x-ray.
If you want to learn about how diagnosis of COPD and Bronchiectasis and the differences between them, is done by the top experts in the field, I strongly recommend this (long) webinar recording from NTMir.org in recognition of World COPD day in 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXudBn1SHZI
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