WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR A WHOLE BODY SCAN?

One of four Americans will die from heart disease. Many others will die from cancer. Wouldn’t you take 10 minutes - the amount of time to have a full body scan - to ensure that you don’t become a part of these statistics?

Whole body scanning has become the number one tool in the fight against the major killers of both men and women in the U.S. - coronary artery disease and cancer. The technology has been featured on USA Today, Good Morning America, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and Oprah.

Just what is a full body scan and how is it done? The science and technology for this modern miracle have been evolving for over three decades and involves the use of CT scanners that combine x-rays and computers into computed tomography, or “CT scans”. A CT scan (can) gives your physician a non-invasive way to see inside your body. One advantage of CT is its ability to rapidly acquire two-dimensional pictures of your body’s anatomy. Using a computer, these 2D images can be presented as 3D images for in-depth clinical evaluations.

CT scans at Sacramento HeartScan are performed using the GE Lightspeed Ultra. The newest generation of GE Lightspeed, an 8-slice CT scanner (versus the more conventional 4-slice scanner) is so fast it captures clear images of the heart between beats. This rapid imaging also translates into clear, more precise pictures of the brain, lungs, colon, arteries, and other important soft tissues. The speed with which the GE Lightspeed Ultra works also reduces the dose of radiation needed to make diagnostic, high-resolution images. It is safer for you and provides better diagnostic information for your physician.

One of the key elements of a whole body scan is a coronary artery scan. Coronary artery scanning is a rapid and accurate technique, which assesses the amount of calcium within the arteries of the heart. Research has shown that the amount of calcification within atherosclerotic plaque is an excellent indication of the total amount of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. The higher the calcium score, the more likelihood of significant atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Conversely, a low calcium score implies a very low probability of having significant atherosclerosis. Thus, coronary artery screening provides an accurate assessment of the presence of atherosclerosis and the portent of future coronary events (heart attacks). Coronary scanning can detect sub clinical coronary artery disease in both asymptomatic individuals and those with a higher likelihood of disease. Coronary artery scanning can identify a group of seemingly healthy persons at high risk for coronary artery disease who are not identified by standard coronary artery disease risk factors, or commonly used exercise stress testing protocols. The coronary artery scan is able to identify people at high risk of a heart attack or other cardiovascular event, even though they seem fit, athletic, healthy, did not smoke, and were free of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

Traditional cardiac exams such as treadmill stress tests look for blockages of blood flow, whereas the full body scan looks at the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries. By the time heart disease shows up on a treadmill stress test, the arteries are usually more than 70% blocked. This percentage of blockage indicates advanced heart disease and the patient may already be experiencing chest pain, or has had another cardiac event.

Full body scanning can detect heart disease when the coronary arteries are only 5% blocked. The large majority of heart disease detected can be stabilized through simple lifestyle changes or minimal medications. Since the heart disease can be detected so early in its cycle, a physician can take aggressive action to prevent a patient from ever becoming symptomatic.

Full body scanning has also been certified by the FDA to detect lung cancer and frequently detects incidental tumors, cancers, and other disorders - years in advance of symptoms. And, it measures bone mineral density in the lumbar spine as an excellent, accurate measure to uncover early signs of osteoporosis.

Beyond the obvious medical diagnostic value of full body scanning, the results are a powerful motivational tool for patients. The results of whole body scans can inspire lifestyle changes that significantly reduce the risk of heart attack. Full body scans can be obtained at Sacramento HeartScan.

Dennis Breen, MD, FACC is affiliated with the Sacramento Heart Center. For more information about Sacramento Heart Center, visit their website at www.sacheart.com or call (916) 830-2080 and request information be mailed to you. Please address your cardiology-related questions to “Ask the Cardiologist”, 500 University Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825. Selected questions will be answered in future columns.