Influence of CT on radiologic utilization in The Netherlands.

The authors studied the influence of computed tomography (CT) on radiologic utilization in The Netherlands. Twenty-six hospitals with a CT scanner were compared with 27 hospitals without on the basis of number of radiologic procedures per clinical patient from 1977 to 1984. Changes in average length of hospitalization were also considered. The number of procedures decreased in hospitals with CT scanners (-9%), in contrast to hospitals without (+10%). The influence of CT on average length of stay appeared minimal. Although this study was limited, the authors believe that use of CT influenced changes in radiologic utilization.