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CT stands for Computed Tomography. It can also be called CAT for Computerized Axial Tomography. CT imaging is a way of using x-rays to get "pictures" of the inside of the body. It may help to find disease or health problems.
Some clinics offer a new use of CT called whole-body CT screening. It claims to find disease when people have no symptoms.
A CT scan can help you if it shows something that is really a problem. If it finds a hidden, serious disease it can be helpful, but only if:
No. You may be thinking about having a whole-body scan even if you have no symptoms. You might be thinking, "For my peace of mind, I just want to know that I don't have any diseases now."
You may have heard that a whole-body CT scan is a good idea for healthy people who have no symptoms. But the FDA does not agree.
FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health
"Full-Body CT Scans: What You Need to Know,"
FDA Consumer
magazine (November-December 2001)
www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/601_ct.html
August 2005