title: Paediatric head CT scan and subsequent risk of malignancy and benign brain tumour: a nation-wide population-based cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the possible association between paediatric head computed tomography (CT) examination and increased subsequent risk of malignancy and benign brain tumour.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the exposed cohort, 24 418 participants under 18 years of age, who underwent head CT examination between 1998 and 2006, were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Patients were followed up until a diagnosis of malignant disease or benign brain tumour, withdrawal from the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, or at the end of 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall risk was not significantly different in the two cohorts (incidence rate=36.72 per 100 000 person-years in the exposed cohort, 28.48 per 100 000 person-years in the unexposed cohort, hazard ratio (HR)=1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.90-1.85). The risk of benign brain tumour was significantly higher in the exposed cohort than in the unexposed cohort (HR=2.97, 95% CI=1.49-5.93). The frequency of CT examination showed strong correlation with the subsequent overall risk of malignancy and benign brain tumour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that paediatric head CT examination was associated with an increased incidence of benign brain tumour. A large-scale study with longer follow-up is necessary to confirm this result.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Radiation Oncology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan [2] Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: W-Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Muo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Y-M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Jen
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan [2] Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: M-H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: 1] Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan [2] Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: F-C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: 1] Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan [2] Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000009:adverse effects*