Full body MRI for £1,499?
Discussion
I don't think they offer much other than the scan itself and interpretation of results by someone qualified. Any referals will be down to yourself to sort out either private or NHS. These outfits (and there are a few of them around the country) have bought/leased/hired a MRI scanner and then pay a radiologist to interpret the scan and then a doctor to tell you the results.
If you've got private medical insurance then plug into that, if not see your GP and show them the results, they'll then likely feed you into the NHS scan/consultant system.
A word of caution, if you don't feel you have anything wrong with you, do you want to go looking?
If you've got private medical insurance then plug into that, if not see your GP and show them the results, they'll then likely feed you into the NHS scan/consultant system.
A word of caution, if you don't feel you have anything wrong with you, do you want to go looking?
I work in MRI, just want to offer a few words of caution.
MRI is very sensitive and it will inevitably see something that may or may not be suggested for follow up.
A typical single part MRI scan can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes so I'd be curious how long it takes to get 13 bits in.
MRI is no good for lungs either, if you had any specific concerns there.
These kinds of services can cause severe health anxiety so just consider if this is important to you.
MRI is very sensitive and it will inevitably see something that may or may not be suggested for follow up.
A typical single part MRI scan can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes so I'd be curious how long it takes to get 13 bits in.
MRI is no good for lungs either, if you had any specific concerns there.
These kinds of services can cause severe health anxiety so just consider if this is important to you.
If you have a reason for getting an MRI, e.g. symptoms then maybe get one.
The question is why do you want one and what would you do with the results?
Without a reason for referral it could be viewed as quackery, particularly for cancer where I don't believe there is any evidence in favour of pro-active screening by MRI.
The question is why do you want one and what would you do with the results?
Without a reason for referral it could be viewed as quackery, particularly for cancer where I don't believe there is any evidence in favour of pro-active screening by MRI.
An MRI scan is not without risk and this chap wasn't even the patient!
A totally bizarre and tragic accident.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2n39dvp0po
A totally bizarre and tragic accident.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2n39dvp0po
I had one of these carried out by a company called Lifescan in 2007.
My GP was quite impressed with the resulting report and a copy went with my medical records.
I had a severe UTI this year and we went back to the report which referred to a significant number of small Kidney Stones. Ultrasound scan awaited.
My GP was quite impressed with the resulting report and a copy went with my medical records.
I had a severe UTI this year and we went back to the report which referred to a significant number of small Kidney Stones. Ultrasound scan awaited.
as a health anxiety/overtester survivor I wouldn't recommend it on balance
of course there is a chance it will find something that requires urgent action
but it's also possible it will find stuff that would have been better left alone and will cause you huge amounts of stress
Stress is not very healthy
of course there is a chance it will find something that requires urgent action
but it's also possible it will find stuff that would have been better left alone and will cause you huge amounts of stress
Stress is not very healthy
This is screening.
"Screening interventions are designed to identify conditions which could at some future point turn into disease, thus enabling earlier intervention and management in the hope to reduce mortality and suffering from a disease.
Although screening may lead to an earlier diagnosis, not all screening tests have been shown to benefit the person being screened; overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and creating a false sense of security are some potential adverse effects of screening.
Additionally, some screening tests can be inappropriately overused. For these reasons, a test used in a screening program, especially for a disease with low incidence, must have good sensitivity in addition to acceptable specificity."
This is which screening campaigns are justified in the UK:
https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/nhs-screen...
The NHS does all the screening it can justify on the scientific evidence. You save money and save lives doing screening.
The NHS has all the money in its budget for screening. It does zero unproven screening.
For example, a difficult to use screening test, the PSA:
"Research has shown that around 3 in 4 men with a raised PSA level will not have cancer."
and
"While most complications from a prostate biopsy are short-term and resolve within a few weeks, 70% blood in the urine, and 60% of people have blood from the rectum, some men may experience long-term side effects. These can include persistent erectile dysfunction, chronic pain, and rarely, long-term urinary incontinence
Don't do the whole body MRI or CT scan.
Learn about false positives and false negatives.
more stuff to read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-...
"Screening interventions are designed to identify conditions which could at some future point turn into disease, thus enabling earlier intervention and management in the hope to reduce mortality and suffering from a disease.
Although screening may lead to an earlier diagnosis, not all screening tests have been shown to benefit the person being screened; overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and creating a false sense of security are some potential adverse effects of screening.
Additionally, some screening tests can be inappropriately overused. For these reasons, a test used in a screening program, especially for a disease with low incidence, must have good sensitivity in addition to acceptable specificity."
This is which screening campaigns are justified in the UK:
https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/nhs-screen...
The NHS does all the screening it can justify on the scientific evidence. You save money and save lives doing screening.
The NHS has all the money in its budget for screening. It does zero unproven screening.
For example, a difficult to use screening test, the PSA:
"Research has shown that around 3 in 4 men with a raised PSA level will not have cancer."
and
"While most complications from a prostate biopsy are short-term and resolve within a few weeks, 70% blood in the urine, and 60% of people have blood from the rectum, some men may experience long-term side effects. These can include persistent erectile dysfunction, chronic pain, and rarely, long-term urinary incontinence
Don't do the whole body MRI or CT scan.
Learn about false positives and false negatives.
more stuff to read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-...
Edited by The_Doc on Sunday 10th August 20:09
20ish years ago I had an issue where I felt a feeling of pressure and a dull ache in my abdomen, just below the line of the rib cage.
I had private heathcare through work so after a GP referral, I had an MRI scan. At the follow up meeting the consultants opening line was 'we are all full of all sorts of lumps and bumps, just because we see something doesn't mean we will do anything about it'
Nothing much came up on the scan and now I still get the symptoms but they come and go so I think it's some kind of intolerance that I'm not bothered enough by to do anything about.
I had private heathcare through work so after a GP referral, I had an MRI scan. At the follow up meeting the consultants opening line was 'we are all full of all sorts of lumps and bumps, just because we see something doesn't mean we will do anything about it'
Nothing much came up on the scan and now I still get the symptoms but they come and go so I think it's some kind of intolerance that I'm not bothered enough by to do anything about.
Thanks for all the replies, interesting.
The principle concept is that we hear many times 'I wish we'd found it earlier' or 'There weren't any symptoms until it was too late'.
We go to a dentist for a checkup so teeth can be fixed before they get too bad, often before the patient even knew he needed a filling. That's all fine.
However the general message I'm getting here, even from medical people, is 'Wait until it starts hurting' or somesuch. Whilst I don't want my health in the hands of charlatans on social media, or quacks finding fake problems, is a policy of 'You're probably OK but it's just a guess' really wise?
The principle concept is that we hear many times 'I wish we'd found it earlier' or 'There weren't any symptoms until it was too late'.
We go to a dentist for a checkup so teeth can be fixed before they get too bad, often before the patient even knew he needed a filling. That's all fine.
However the general message I'm getting here, even from medical people, is 'Wait until it starts hurting' or somesuch. Whilst I don't want my health in the hands of charlatans on social media, or quacks finding fake problems, is a policy of 'You're probably OK but it's just a guess' really wise?
The_Doc said:
I'll regret this, but:
The NHS is founded on making you healthier, using the money available.
Private scanning firms are founded on making as much profit as possible. They don't *really* care about health, or patients.
I favour the middle ground. We know the NHS doesn't have the capacity to cater for everybody - everything is prioritised to make the money go further so they work on probabilities. As in 'It's unlikely you've got X so we'll wait until you've got some symptoms so it's worth spending taxpayers' money on.'The NHS is founded on making you healthier, using the money available.
Private scanning firms are founded on making as much profit as possible. They don't *really* care about health, or patients.
I don't have a problem with going private - very often the same people as the NHS - to get seen/tested/scanned sooner or better. It's a sound use of personal funds (but I'm not signing up on the basis of Facebook adverts).
The primary point though is that MRI isn't really used as a screening tool - it has a specific diagnostic function depending on what they are looking for based on symptoms / other tests - as others have pointed out.
Fill your boots if you want to go ahead and try one - there will be no harm done and you will have an anatomical record of your internal structures at age X.
I would ask the company what they would do if the MRI report shows something unusual and how much would that would cost to fix.
If they simply refer you back to your GP then you'll have to join the queue like everyone else.
There is a study currently comparing MRI, with ultrasound and blood tests - as a potential screen for prostate cancer, which can only be a good thing given the lack of a screening programme and the unreliability of the PSA test on its own.
https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/mri-screening-fo...
Fill your boots if you want to go ahead and try one - there will be no harm done and you will have an anatomical record of your internal structures at age X.
I would ask the company what they would do if the MRI report shows something unusual and how much would that would cost to fix.
If they simply refer you back to your GP then you'll have to join the queue like everyone else.
There is a study currently comparing MRI, with ultrasound and blood tests - as a potential screen for prostate cancer, which can only be a good thing given the lack of a screening programme and the unreliability of the PSA test on its own.
https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/mri-screening-fo...
Yahonza said:
Fill your boots if you want to go ahead and try one - there will be no harm done
"No harm done." Sadly that's exactly the point with test with low specificity, ie lots of false positives.
You end up having biopsies and you worry about it, when it was never cancer and you'd have been better off not scanning.
The harm is unwarranted tests and worry.
Spot on liver, - liver biopsy, bleeding and problems.
Spot on pancreas, - ERCP and pancreatitis after the endoscopy.
Leave it to the professionals. And that ain't the dude who bought 10 knackered old mobile MRI machines on HGV trailers as a cash cow.
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