Patients prefer whole body imaging - Detection - diagnosis by scanning - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2002

Americans are turning to whole body imaging as the optimum picture of health in early disease detection. According to a study sponsored by Open Systems Imaging (OSI), Palm Desert, Calif., more than 63% of respondents consider body scanning to be an effective tool for early disease detection in seemingly healthy people. "Whole body imaging is a noninvasive diagnostic tool that allows the physician to look at the internal organs to determine the risk of life-threatening disease, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and aneurysms, before the patient experiences any symptoms," notes Stuart May, co-medical director of OSI.

More than 55% believe that body scanning should become part of an annual physical exam. If given the choice, slightly more than 50% would select a virtual colonoscopy procedure for detecting colon cancer over the traditional optical colonoscopy. "Despite the fact that timely and accurate screening can prevent colorectal cancer, the traditional invasive colonoscopy comes with inherent risk of perforating the colon walls, pain, and unpleasant preparatory requirements of anesthesia and harsh colon cleansing that often cause patients to delay or opt out of the screening," explains Donald Wade, co-medical director of OSI. "With [a virtual colonoscopy, however], all of the risk and discomfort of a colonoscopy is eliminated, while, equally important, the physician's ability to visualize polyps is greatly enhanced."