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When is a whole body CT scan needed?
I'm 35 years old and my doctor wants me to get a whole body CT scan to explain some unexplained pain in my abdomen. Is this really necessary?
2 Answers
As a general rule, imaging should be confined to the area of symptoms. There are some special circumstances such as evaluation for metastatic disease in a patient with a known primary malignancy when CT chest abdomen and pelvis would be performed. Trauma is another indication for imaging of the head, C-spine, chest, abdomen, and pelvis.