Body Scanner

A CBS 2 News Special Assignment

Should you get one on your next checkup?

CBS 2 News' Special Assignment: Body Scanners aired Wednesday, March 25, 1998 at 11 p.m.

New and amazing technology could possibly take us into the new millenium and revolutionize the way a basic physical exam is done.

This new technology is currently available at the Healthview Center in Newport Beach.

The Healthview Center has the only angiocat of its kind on the West Coast, said CBS 2 News' Thelma Gutierrez.

The angiocat is an electron-beam scanner that works with complex software that makes a virtual tour through the human body possible.

Two of CBS 2 News' photographers, Dolores Lopez and Les Rose, went through the 90-minute program to find out if this new non-surgical exam could catch what other tests might have missed.

Lopez had her entire torso scanned.

Because of her medical history, doctors looked for signs of osteoporosis, heart disease, lung and breast cancer, said Gutierrez. The entire scanning process took only 10 minutes and the results came back just as quickly.

Rose also has a history of heart disease in his family. The angiocat is so sophisticated that it could tell Rose if he's at risk perhaps up to 20 years before he shows any symptoms -- something an X-ray cannot do.

"Most people think the absence of symptoms is the absence of disease. That's a deadly misconception," radiologist and medical director Dr. Harvey Eisenberg told Gutierrez.

The idea is to catch the disease before it can become deadly, said Dr. Eisenberg.

"A lot of diseases, like cancers and emphysema, by the time they produce symptoms, it's too late," Eisenberg told Gutierrez.

In a 3-D image of Lopez's spinal cord, Dr. Eisenberg spotted a high risk for osteoporosis.

"Your bone structure is weakening," Dr. Eisenberg told Lopez. "This is the age to catch this."

The images of Lopez also showed her organs slice by slice. But it's in her abdomen that non-calcified gallstones were found.

The next look is at her lungs.

"I've smoked for years, I'm concerned," she told Gutierrez.

The images showed she has the first stages of emphysema.

The point isn't to give patients bad news, but to give them time and the motivation to change their behaviors.

"It didn't faze me to pick up a cigarette, but now I've seen what smoking has done to me," said Lopez. "It's kind of scary, it was a shock and I'm going to quit."

The cost of the scan is about $500, but not all insurance companies cover this. The scan is only recommended for people with a family history of problems, and those over the age of 35.

If you'd like to learn more about the angiocat scanner, you can contact the Healthview Center at (888) 724-8439.