Full-body scan is a scan of the patient's entire body to support the diagnosis & treatment of illnesses.It may also be known as a full-body CT scan if computed tomography(CAT)technology is used,though there are many types of medical imaging technology which can perform full-body scans .
A full-body scan can theoretically catch deadly diseases(e.g.cancer)in early stages,which can save lives.However in practice,the benefits may not outweight the risks.Thus,controversy arises from the use of full-body scans in the screening of patients who have not been diagnosed with a disease,or who do not have symptoms suggestive of a disease,.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.
Compared to most other diagnostic X-ray procedures,CT scans result in relatively high radiation exposure.This exposure may be associated with a very small increase in the possibility of developing cancer later in a person's life.This risk is greatly outweighed by the benefits of diagnostic & therapeutic CT,however is questionable when used on asymptomatic individuals.
Diagnosis benefits:
Allows a transparent view of the body,which normally is not transparent. Many possible malignancies are discovered with a full-body scan,but these are almost always benign.These may not be related to any disease,& may be benign growths,scar tissue,or the remnants of previous infections.CT scanning for other reasons sometimes identifies these "incidentalomas".
Other issues:
Low rate of finding disease.
Confusion regarding "incidentalomas" :It is uncertain how to treat some of them, or if treatment is even necessary.
Possibly high cost:At a cost of US$600 to $3000 full-body scans are expensive, and are rarely covered by insurance.However,in December 2007,the IRS stated that full-body scans qualify as deductible medical expenses,without a doctor's referral.
Source wikipedia
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