Can a Full Body Scan (CT/CAT Scan) Save Your Life

In 2002 Robert Baird walked into a health imagingare detected in their early stages.  And according to
center in Salt Lake City, Utah, because of a minorthe American Heart Association the first and only
concern about a family history of heart disease and hewarning for most stroke and heart attack victims is the
left minutes later with lifesaving information regardingactual onset of a life-threatening crisis. Last year over
non-symptomatic problems he was unaware of and650,000 American Adults died of heart disease, and
had never considered.  "Two surgeries later," Bairdnearly half of those were sudden, undiagnosed deaths.
exclaims, "I have a new lease on life." According to Dr. Wendell A. Gibby, MD, Director of
The two most common causes of death in the UnitedRiverwoods Imaging and Interventional Center in Provo,
States are cardiovascular disease and cancer,Utah, and Associate Professor of Radiology at the
accounting for nearly three out of every four deaths inUniversity of Arizona in Tucson, the full body CT scan
America.  Every 30 seconds an American dies ofprovides critical data in identifying abnormalities and
heart disease while one out of two men and one outdiseases in their early stages.  "Numerous studies
of three women will develop cancer, taking a life everyhave indicated that early detection of a number of
90 seconds.diseases may significantly increase the likelihood of
In less than 15 minutes a computed axial tomographyrecovery."
(CT or CAT) "full body scan" will screen for theThe body scan is a simple, fast, and painless
presence of heart disease, various cancers, and otherprocedure.  An individual simply lies on a scanner table
abnormalities.  The body CT scan, the mostwhile high speed 3D images are taken. A radiologist
comprehensive screening procedure availablethen interprets the scan results to determine if there
anywhere, looks at the heart and lungs and examinesare any visible abnormalities.
the abdomen for life-threatening diseases such asThe full body scan looks at the heart and lungs, the
cancer of the major organs, lymphoma andabdomen, including the thoracic and abdominal aorta,
aneurysms.  It can also detect benign conditions suchspleen, adrenal glands, lymph nodes, certain pelvic
as arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones and gallorgans, kidneys, spine, liver, pancreas, and the gall
stones.   The full body scan may be helpful forbladder.  The scan is designed to detect early or
those with higher medical risks, such as a family historyadvanced heart disease, vascular disease, tumors of
of cancer or heart disease, current and formerthe lung, kidney, and liver, aortic aneurisms, calcified
smokers, high cholesterol, and anyone with diabetes orgallstones, calcified kidney stones, and various
high blood pressure.abnormalities in the abdomen and pelvic regions. 
According to the American Cancer Society mostSimply stated, a full body CT scan can reveal a lot
people with lung cancer have no symptomsabout the inside of you body and may even save your
whatsoever.  Currently only 15% of all lung cancerslife.