Future Health Checkups May Include New 'Full Body Scans'

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By By Molly Shen

Summary

New technology takes complete diagnosis of body, can pinpoint potential health risks very early.

Story Published: Oct 17, 2001 at 4:16 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 30, 2006 at 11:44 PM PDT

Future Health Checkups May Include New 'Full Body Scans'
SEATTLE - The doctor's check-up of the future could include a quick screening for cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease.

The technology is just now available here.

Robert Bailey decided to have the screening, called a full body scan. He has a family history of high blood pressure and heart disease. He takes steps to manage his own health, but wants to know more about his risk for problems.

In just five minutes, he'll have some answers.

The CT scan will check his heart, lungs and lower body. Not only will it look for heart disease, it could be an early catch for cancer.

"There's several cases, anecdotal, where people have saved their lives through finding aneurysms, tumors, finding coronary disease early enough to treat it with an aspirin a day," said Dr. Thomas Giannulli, chief executive officer of Bellevue-based Health-Scan. "Those are the kinds of cases we're seeing. That's the benefit we're offering."

$900 Cost

The benefit could be greatest for people 40 and older who have risk factors for disease, but no symptoms. Early detection could be a lifesaver.

The full body scan costs $900, and probably won't be covered by insurance.

A few minutes after the scan, patients look over the results with a doctor. Dr. Giannulli shows Bailey an image of his heart with yellow streaks. The yellow marks calcium build-up.

Robert Bailey's scan confirmed his heart disease and gave him a better idea of his risk for additional problems.

The full report will go to his personal doctor to decide what to do next.

"I was surprised how much calcium I do have and how high the risk is. I have to be really aware of the risk now," Bailey says.

The scan also delivered some good news: a check of Bailey's lungs, kidneys, liver, and spinal column didn't show any problems.

It's information that will help him manage his health, and offers peace of mind.

Swedish Medical Center in Seattle has similar heart scanning equipment and will start lung cancer screening soon.

There's not as much research supporting the full body scanning. Giannulli predicts as new research is published, body scans will become standard care.

For More Information:

www.health-scan.com
www.swedish.org