Full-body CT scan

src: www3.gehealthcare.co.uk

For the entire body scan found at airport security, see Full body scanner.

full-body scan is the whole body scan of the patient as part of a diagnosis or treatment of the disease. If computed tomography (CAT) scan technology is used, it is known as full-body CT scan , although many medical imaging technologies can scan whole-body.

Video Full-body CT scan

Indication

A CT scan of the entire body allows a transparent view of the body. For polytrauma patients, the use of whole-body CT scans aggressively improves the initial diagnosis of injury and improves survival rates, with the adoption of extensive techniques worldwide. A whole body CT scan is not indicated in patients with minor or single system trauma, and should be avoided in such patients.

Many possible malignancies are found with a full body scan, but these are almost always benign. It may not be associated with any disease, and may be a benign growth, scarring, or remnant of previous infections. CT scans for other reasons sometimes identify these "incidentalomas".

However, the significance of radiation exposure as well as the costs associated with this study should be considered, especially in patients with low-energy mechanisms of injury and physical examination findings none consistent with major trauma.

The whole body scan has the potential to identify illness (eg cancer) at an early stage, and early identification can increase the success of curative efforts. Controversy arises from the use of whole-body scans in screening patients who have no signs or symptoms that imply a disease. As with any disease-screening test, the risk of whole-body CT scan needs to be weighed against the benefits of identifying treatable disease at an early stage.

An alternative to a full body CT scan is probably a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. MRI scans are generally more expensive than CT but do not expose patients to ionizing radiation and are being evaluated for their potential value in screening.

Maps Full-body CT scan

Risks and complications

Compared with other diagnostic imaging procedures, CT scans result in relatively high radiation exposure. This exposure can be attributed to a very small increase in cancer risk. The question is whether the risk is greater than the benefits of diagnosis and therapy

This procedure has a low rate of disease discovery. This can cause confusion about the incidentaloma. It is uncertain how to take care of some of them, or if care is even required. This test also can not detect color, unlike for example colonoscopy.

src: gamma.wustl.edu

Society and culture

This procedure is relatively expensive. Probably high cost: At a cost of US $ 600 to $ 3000, the whole body scan is expensive, and rarely covered by insurance. However, in December 2007, the IRS stated that a full body scan qualifies as a deductible medical expense, without a doctor's referral. This will likely lead to a company-sponsored flexible spending plan to make the cost of scanning eligible for replacement.

src: upload.wikimedia.org

In popular culture

• In the "Model Role" episode of the TV show Home Gregory House refers to the whole body scan as "useless" because, in his words, "you might be able to scan every one of us and find fifty doo-fathers that look like cancer". This issue is revisited in the next episode, "Social Contract", in which a full body scan was successfully used to identify the tumor and diagnose the Doege-Potter syndrome. Then in the "Black Hole", House ordered a full body scan of his team's objections, followed by a different scan on the pineal gland.
• In the episode of Scrubs "My Fault", Dr. Kelso decided to offer a full body scan at Sacred Heart Hospital, although Dr. Cox. This offer was taken by Harvey Corman, who is a "recognized hypochondriac".

src: c8.alamy.com

See also

• Complete body scanner
• Medical imaging
• X-ray Backscatter (for security scanning)
• Millimeter wave scanner (for security scanning)

src: thumbs.dreamstime.com

References

Source of the article : Wikipedia