US probing more cases of CT radiation overexposure

US regulators are probing more cases of patients who were exposed to excess radiation from brain scans performed with equipment from General Electric and Toshiba, government officials said on Monday. The Food and Drug Administration said some patients received up to eight times the normal amount of radiation. High doses of radiation can cause cataracts and increase the risk of some forms of cancer. In October, the FDA said it was investigating 206 cases of patients being overexposed to radiation during CT perfusion scans of the brain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles during an 18-month period. The FDA said on Monday it had identified at least 50 more cases at Cedars-Sinai and two other California hospitals. Cases also have been reported in Alabama, FDA officials said.