Obesity May Influence Imaging Diagnosis

Overweight individuals, in addition to being at risk for a host of health problems, may also be reducing their chances of being correctly diagnosed during imaging procedures.

Researchers, according to a new study, report that obesity can restrict the accuracy and ability of imaging scanning, including such modalities as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). The number of difficulties with imaging obese individuals almost doubled from 0.10-0.19% in the past decade, which compares with the increase in overweight statistics that have nearly doubled from 9-16%.

The investigators attribute this problem to the fact that ultrasound waves must penetrate through the body tissue to generate an accurate image reading, and this becomes more difficult with heavier individuals. Therefore, the investigators stated that manufacturers need to think about design changes and technologic developments to obtain better imaging in larger patients.

The researchers, from Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA, USA), presented their results at the 2004 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), held in Chicago, IL, USA.




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