According to a team of researchers led by Dr. Steven Raman, the chances of patients having an unnecessary appendix operation have declined since 1996, as doctors are turning towards CT scans to diagnose appendicitis. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study involved 1081 patients who had their appendix removed, and the figure of 20% CT scans in 1996 went up to 85% in 2006.

The US federal government will continue to cover the scanning procedure to detect heart disease, despite having misgivings over whether such coverage is justified or not. The payments would be left up to the local insurance carriers who have been covering these tests so far. Dr. Barry Straube, CMO for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that more evidence is needed before the policy can be reversed.

 Photo by noellium