The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants to lower the starting age from 55 down to 50 while also modifying required smoking pack-years. 

The findings should encourage physicians to utilize LDCT in emergency settings to avoid unnecessary radiation.

A CT scan can offer a prompt diagnosis and guide subsequent surgical intervention for patients with acute mesenteric ischemia, a rare but deadly disease reported in some COVID cases.

Emory University researchers will compare the technique to nuclear stress testing in a small group of patients.

Additionally, those who undergo a diagnostic versus screening exam can suffer damaging effects, including higher radiation dosages and alternate follow-up recommendations.

The imaging technique could identify thousands of patients each year who may benefit from thrombectomy more than 24 hours after suffering a clot.

The update is meant to help clinicians improve outcomes while reducing costs, but one advocate says certain imaging suggestions may cause unanticipated harm.

Imaging specialists remain irreplaceable, the experts maintained, particularly when looking for clinically significant findings.