Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Oct;4(4):e44.
doi: 10.2349/biij.4.4.e44. Epub 2008 Oct 1.

College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia position on whole body screening CT scans in healthy asymptomatic individuals (2008)

Elm Ho, Bjj Abdullah, Aal Tang, Aj Nordin, Ar Nair, Gcc Lim, H Samad-Cheung, Kh Ng, S Ponnusamy, Sf Abbas, Si Bux, S Arasaratnam, Yf Abdul Aziz, S Venugopal, Z Musa, Z Abdul Manaf

College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia position on whole body screening CT scans in healthy asymptomatic individuals (2008)

Elm Ho et al. Biomed Imaging Interv J. 2008 Oct.

Abstract

To date, the College of Radiology (CoR) does not see any clear benefit in performing whole body screening computed tomography (CT) examinations in healthy asymptomatic individuals. There are radiation risk issues in CT and principles of screening should be adhered to. There may be a role for targeted cardiac screening CT that derives calcium score, especially for asymptomatic medium-risk individuals and CT colonography when used as part of a strategic programme for colorectal cancer screening in those 50 years and older. However, population based screening CT examinations may become appropriate when evidence emerges regarding a clear benefit for the patient outweighing the associated radiation risks.

Keywords: Screening; computed tomography (CT); cost-benefit analysis; radiation risks; whole body imaging.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Furtado CD, Aguirre DA, Sirlin CB, et al. Whole-body CT screening: spectrum of findings and recommendations in 1192 patients. Radiology. 2005;237(2):385–94. - PubMed
    1. Hall FM, Casola G, Sirlin CB, et al. Callback and follow-up guidelines for whole-body CT screening. Radiology. 2006;241(2):627–8. author reply 628-9. - PubMed
    1. Modic MT, Obuchowski N. Whole-body CT screening for cancer and coronary disease: does it pass the test. Cleve Clin J Med. 2004;71(1):47–56. - PubMed
    1. Berlin L. Should whole-body CT screening be performed with contrast media. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2003;180(2):323–5. - PubMed
    1. Patient Dose Information, Health Protection Agency, UK [Online] Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733826941?.... (Accessed 7 April 2008).

LinkOut - more resources