"Full-body scan" redirects here. For full-body scanners found in airport-security, seeFull body scanner. For 3D body scanners, see3D body scanning.
Afull-body scan is a scan of the patient's entire body as part of thediagnosis or treatment of illnesses. Ifcomputed tomography (CAT) scan technology is used, it is known as afull-body CT scan, though many medical imaging technologies can perform full-body scans.
Full-body CT scans allow a transparent view of the body. Forpolytrauma patients, aggressive use of full-body CT scanning improves early diagnosis of injury and improves survival rates,[1]with widespread adoption of the technique seen worldwide.[2]Full-body CT scans are not indicated in patients with minor or single system trauma, and should be avoided in such patients.[1]
Many possible malignancies are discovered with a full-body scan, but these are almost always benign.[3][4] These may not be related to any disease, and may be benign growths,scar tissue, or the remnants of previousinfections. CT scanning for other reasons sometimes identifies these "incidentalomas".
However, the significance of radiation exposure as well as costs associated with these studies must be considered, especially in patients with low energy mechanisms of injury and absent physical examination findings consistent with major trauma.
A full-body scan has the potential to identify disease (e.g.cancer) in early stages, and early identification can improve the success of curative efforts. Controversy arises from the use of full-body scans in thescreening of patients who have no signs orsymptoms suggestive of a disease.[5] As with any test that screens for disease, the risks of full-body CT scans need to be weighed against the benefit of identifying a treatable disease at an early stage.[6]
An alternative to a full-body CT scan may beMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. MRI scans are generally more expensive than CT but do not expose the patient to ionizing radiation and are being evaluated for their potential value in screening.[7]
Compared to most other diagnostic imaging procedures, CT scans result in relatively highradiation exposure. This exposure may be associated with a very small increase in cancer risk. The question is whether that risk is outweighed by the benefits of diagnosis and therapy[8]
The procedure has a low rate of finding disease.[3][4] It can cause confusion regardingincidentalomas. It is uncertain how to treat some of them, or if treatment is even necessary.[9]The test also cannot detect colors, unlike for example acolonoscopy.
At a cost ofUS$600 to $3000, full-body scans are expensive, and are rarely covered by insurance.[10][11] However, in December 2007, theIRS stated that full-body scans qualify as deductible medical expenses, without a doctor's referral. This will likely lead employer-sponsored, flexible-spending plans to make the cost of the scans eligible for reimbursement.[12]
In theScrubs episode "My Fault", released April 22, 2004,Dr. Kelso decides to offer full-body scans at Sacred Heart Hospital, despite the objections ofDr. Cox, in his words: "I think showing perfectly healthy people every harmless imperfection in their body just to scare them into taking invasive and often pointless tests is an unholy sin." Kelso's offer is almost taken byHarvey Corman, who is an "admittedlyfrugalhypochondriac".
In the episode "Role Model" of the TV showHouse, released April 12, 2005, the lead characterDr. Gregory House refers to full-body scans as "useless" because, in his words, "you could probably scan every one of us and find five different doo-dads that look like cancer". This issue was revisited in a later episode, "The Social Contract", where a full-body scan was successfully used to identify a tumor and diagnoseDoege-Potter syndrome. Then in "Black Hole", House orders a full-body scan over the objections of his team, followed by a different scan on apineal gland.
Huber-Wagner, S.; Lefering, R.; Qvick, L. M.; Körner, M.; Kay, M. V.; Pfeifer, K. J. R.; Reiser, M.; Mutschler, W.; Kanz, K. G.; Working Group on Polytrauma of the German Trauma Society (2009). "Effect of whole-body CT during trauma resuscitation on survival: A retrospective, multicentre study".The Lancet.373 (9673):1455–1461.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60232-4.PMID19321199.
Ahmadinia, K.; Smucker, J. B.; Nash, C. L.; Vallier, H. A. (2012). "Radiation exposure has increased in trauma patients over time".The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.72 (2):410–415.doi:10.1097/TA.0b013e31823c59ee.PMID22327983.
^abBrant-Zawadzki MN (November 2005). "The role of computed tomography in screening for cancer".Eur Radiol. 15 Suppl 4:52–54.PMID16479647.
^abBerlin L (February 2003). "Potential legal ramifications of whole-body CT screening: taking a pesek into Pandora's box".AJR Am J Roentgenol.180 (2):317–322.doi:10.2214/ajr.180.2.1800317.PMID12540423.