Preventative health care is one of the most effective ways to maintain your health. Stopping health issues before they start helps you avoid prolonged illness or disability due to preventative health conditions.
Preventative medical scans are a practical part of preventative health care. Let’s look at what a preventative scan is, the types of diagnostic scans available, and the benefits of these preventative health screenings.
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What Are Preventative Screenings?
Preventative screenings are CT scans that provide three-dimensional images of your blood vessels, bones, muscles, organs, and tissues. Radiologists use the CT scanner to capture images and investigate potential issues. For example, radiologists can measure suspected tumors to confirm their location and size. This information may be used to perform a biopsy and, if it’s confirmed it’s cancerous, whether it can be surgically removed.
Why Are Preventative Screenings Important For The Early Detection Of Diseases?
When you book a preventative medical scan near you, you access crucial health information that would otherwise be unavailable. Preventative health scans can detect potential issues in the earliest stages before you develop symptoms and have reasons to suspect something’s wrong.
Early detection allows for prompt treatment, increasing your chances of a full recovery, reducing the time you need treatment, and saving you money by shortening treatment times. Although 81.4% of lung cancer patients die within five years of their diagnosis, a preventative CT scan increases the survival rate, with only 20% of those diagnosed with lung cancer dying within 20 years of their diagnosis.
What Types Of Screenings Are Available For Different Health Concerns?
The following types of preventative health scans are available:
- Body scan
- Bone density scan
- CT coronary calcium score test
- Heart
- Lung
- Virtual colonoscopy
Each preventative scan provides crucial data used to monitor your health. Suppose you had a fractured bone. A CT scan can confirm the fracture has healed. CT scans can also identify growths that may be cancerous and require investigation, the location of pinched nerves, or symptoms of heart disease.
Benefits Of Body Scans
A full-body scan is one of the most effective, non-invasive ways for you to benefit from early detection of diseases and serious health issues. Health problems that a full-body scan can identify include the following:
- Appendicitis
- Blood clots
- Bowel blockages and disorders
- Crohn’s disease
- Kidney stones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
A full-body scan is also able to detect some types of cancer, including the following:
- Bladder
- Bowel
- Kidney
- Ovarian
- Stomach
What Is A Bone Density Scan, And Who Should Get It?
A bone density scan effectively calculates your bone mineral density (BMD), which provides crucial information about your bone strength. Strong bones have higher amounts of calcium and minerals. Weak bones have lower amounts, so measuring the amount of calcium and minerals in your bones can determine if you have or are at risk of developing osteoporosis.
Bone density scans can also help prevent osteoporosis by measuring the effectiveness of preventative treatments to strengthen your BMD. Your doctor may advise you to make dietary and lifestyle changes, as well as exercise to prevent bone loss and strengthen your bones. A preventative scan can confirm if these changes are effective.
How Does A Ct Coronary Calcium Score Test Help Prevent Heart Disease?
Your heart needs steady blood flow to function correctly. When the blood flow to your heart is disrupted, you’re at risk of developing coronary artery disease or suffering from an irregular heartbeat, heart attack, or heart failure.
A CT coronary calcium score allows your radiologist to verify the presence of arterial plaque buildup. A CT coronary calcium score test is important because early detection of calcified plaque allows you to change your diet and exercise to prevent further buildup. You may also need an atherectomy to remove the plaque and prevent severe health issues or death. A CT coronary calcium score test is one of the best screenings used to prevent heart disease.
What Can A Heart Scan Detect?
A heart scan is similar to a CT coronary calcium score because it focuses on arterial plaque; however, a heart scan looks at both calcified and non-calcified arterial plaque. Heart scans can also identify aortic aneurysms. Heart scans are one of the most effective ways of diagnosing heart disease for women because women’s symptoms differ from men’s and may not be noticeable.
Benefits Of A Lung Scan
Scanning your lungs gives you a clear look at your lung health and is an effective way to diagnose lung cancer. Early detection and treatment of lung cancer significantly increases the survival rate.
What Are The Benefits Of Virtual Colonoscopy Compared To Traditional Methods?
A virtual colonoscopy is an effective way to determine if you have colon cancer. Wondering when to get a virtual colonoscopy? The American Cancer Society advises that most people begin screening for colon cancer at age 50.
Virtual colonoscopies are non-invasive diagnostic procedures that give you the health answers you need without risking a perforated bowel. Virtual colonoscopies are also more comfortable and allow your radiologist to see more of your colon and neighboring organs, giving you a clearer picture of potential health issues in that region.
How Often Should Preventative Screenings Be Done?
How often you should visit preventative CT scan providers near you may depend on your risk level and the type of scan. An annual full body scan may be beneficial because it provides much data about your health; however, you may only need a calcium scan every three to five years. Your doctor can guide you in getting scans when you need them.
What Are The Potential Risks Of Not Undergoing Regular Health Screenings?
Forgoing health scans can prevent early detection of coronary artery disease, cancer, and other severe health problems. When you delay a diagnosis and treatment, you reduce your risks of a full recovery. Those who do fully recover may spend more time and money on treatments than they would have if they’d detected their health issues earlier.
How Do Preventative Screenings Contribute To Long-Term Health Management?
Preventative screenings can determine whether treatments are effective. Ongoing bone density tests can decide whether or not you’re increasing your bone density. CT coronary calcium score tests can confirm if you’ve prevented further plaque buildup or need intervention to remove the plaque.
Preventative Medical Scans At Preventative Diagnostic Center
Booking a preventative medical scan is a practical, quick, non-invasive way to get precise information about your health. Preventative Diagnostic Center’s Las Vegas office offers full-body, bone density, CT calcium score, heart and lung scans, and virtual colonoscopies.
You do not need a doctor’s referral to schedule your test. After your scan, you’ll receive comprehensive results within 10 days, giving you the health answers you need for peace of mind or prompt treatment for potential issues we identify.
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Sources:
Lung Cancer Screening Dramatically Increases Long-Term Survival Rate. (2022).
Preventative Care. (2024).
