Which radiological procedure is most associated with acute deterministic effects?

The procedure most associated with acute deterministic effects is the CT scan with high radiation dose. Deterministic effects, also known as non-stochastic effects, occur when a certain threshold of radiation exposure is surpassed, leading to a predictable response or injury. Such effects are dose-dependent, meaning that the severity of the effect increases with higher doses of radiation.

CT scans, particularly when they involve high radiation doses, have the potential to exceed these thresholds due to the concentrated beams of X-rays used to produce detailed images. This concentrated exposure can lead to acute effects such as skin burns or radiation sickness, which can manifest shortly after exposure if the radiation dose is sufficiently high.

In contrast, dental X-rays typically use lower doses, making the risk of acute deterministic effects much lower. Ultrasound and MRI exams do not utilize ionizing radiation, thus they are not associated with deterministic effects at all, as they operate on fundamentally different principles of imaging and therefore do not produce radiation-related injuries.