When a Medical Test Leads to Another, and Another

Click here to see the entire article in The Wall Street Journal

CT scans and MRIs can capture unrelated abnormalities by chance, leading to overtreatment, two researchers at NYU Langone say in a new report

Stella Kang, an assistant professor of radiology and population health at NYU Langone Medical Center, joined forces with Arthur Caplan, who directs NYU Langone’s Center for Medical Ethics, to explore the topic of incidental findings—abnormalities that are picked up by happenstance in the course of unrelated imaging tests. In a new paper, they argue that there has been too much overtreatment of some minor medical issues and there is a risk of patient harm. Photo: Bud Glick/NYU Langone, Reported by Lucette Lagnado, The Wall Street Journal, 08/29/16