Be Well Body Scan

CT Screening Tests Provide Inside Information on Health Status

The Be Well Body Scan Program offers state-of-the art, noninvasive, CT scan technology coupled with expert one-on-one consultation with a Board-certified radiologist on staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. All scans and consultations are performed in a private, professional setting, built specificallry to provide CT screening services.

The Heart Scan Heart disease is the number one cause of death and disability in our country. Unfortunately, the first signs of heart disease, in many cases, may be a heart attack and possibly death.
A heart scan at Be Well Body Scan is a simple, noninvasive test used for the early detection of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries, which has been shown to be an independent risk factor for future risk for coronary artery disease or heart attack. Knowledge of the presence of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries can alert asymptomatic patients to their increased risk for heart attack, and help them make proactive decisions to help reduce their risk of a future heart attack.

The Lung Scan Current and former smokers and those with occupational lung exposures (such as asbestos) may benefit from a Be Well lung scan. CT scans have been shown to detect more lung cancers, and lung cancers at an earlier stage, than conventional chest x-rays.

Why is Colon Cancer Screening Important? Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Colon cancer can be prevented if polyps are discovered and removed early. Several government agencies and the American Cancer Society recommend that patients undergo a procedure that allows visualization of the entire colon at age 50 and then every five to ten years, depending on an individual’s specific medical and family history.
While optical colonoscopy is still the “gold standard” for colon cancer screening, only approximately 50% of Americans who should have a colonoscopy actually do. For patients unable or unwilling to have a colonoscopy, virtual colonography offers an excellent alternative.

Virtual Colonography is a CT scanning method that allows physicians to create 3-dimensional views of the inside of the colon to screen for early signs of colon cancer. Like traditional (optical) colonoscopy, the colon must be cleaned-out using a 24-hour pre-procedure bowel “prep.”
However, unlike optical colon-oscopy, the procedure is only minimally invasive and does not require sedation. Following the procedure, patients are free to immediately return to their normal daily activities.

Who Should Have a Be Well Body Scan?
While each patient’s individual medical situation is different, scans per-formed by Be Well have the greatest value for people over the age of 40.

Current or former smokers and those with inhaled occupational exposures will benefit most from a lung scan, and individuals with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of coronary artery disease will benefit most from our heart scan and/or carotid artery screening.

For those individuals over the age of 50 who are unable or unwilling to undergo colonoscopy, virtual colonography offers an excellent alternative.

Be Well also provides osteoporosis screening (bone densitometry) and carotid artery screening to assess an individual’s risk for stroke using Doppler ultrasound.

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