The CT body scan: An overview The CT body scan: An overview (February 09, 2005)

Computed tomography, or CT, uses a beam of X-rays that rotates around the stationary patient to take images from different angles around the body, according to the patient information Web site of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Sophisticated computer analysis translates these images into high-quality cross-sectional images of the body's tissues and organs.

Traditionally, a patient might be referred by his or her personal physician for a CT scan to give the doctor more information on symptoms or signs of abnormality or disease. A radiologist acts as a consultant to the physician, reading and interpreting the images from the scan, and reports the findings back to the patient's doctor along with the likely diagnosis and possible further recommendations, Dr. Scott Atlas explains.

The patient's primary physician then adds these findings and radiological impressions to the overall observation of the patient's health and advises a next step if necessary -- either more investigation, or diagnosis and treatment.

In the case of self-referrals for CT, or what Dr. Michael Modic calls "the worried-well with money, hoping to live forever," the traditional physician-patient relationship is often bypassed. A patient can book the CT, and typically receives a report of the findings directly from the radiologist.

Dr. Atlas says he is concerned that patients may not be equipped with adequate medical knowledge to know how to interpret the reports of a self-referred CT scan and what significance these results have in terms of next steps.

There are currently local scan centers in San Francisco, Cupertino, and Walnut Creek, offering full-body scans at prices ranging from $499 to $990. Insurance companies typically do not cover the cost of these scans.

In addition to full-body scans, these centers offer targeted scans of the heart, the lungs, the colon, and the brain.

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