Jul 28 2006
Too Fat for X-Rays
More bad news for overweight Americans; we don’t get good x-ray results:
More and more obese people are unable to get full medical care because they are either too big to fit into scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate, radiologists reported on Tuesday.
So, is it just a problem for x-rays?
Ultrasounds are most affected, Uppot said.
“In an obese person, because the ultrasound beam does not get to the organs or get to them adequately enough, we cannot get a picture. It looks like a snowstorm — I don’t know if you have seen those televisions where it is just whiteout? It looks like that.”
An MRI can get a good picture if the patient can fit into the tube or get onto the table, Uppot said. Some manufacturers have started to make MRI machines with larger-bore holes, but with the cost in the millions of dollars per machine, only large groups or institutions can afford them.
This is not just a problem in the US, the UK is not far behind:
“The obesity rates in the US have been going up relentlessly. Sadly, in the UK we are following in their wake.
“The UK is now the fastest growing country in Europe for rising obesity.
Looks like it’s time to pass the burger joint and hit the treadmill.
For more, check out:
- Airplane Seats, Restaurant Booths And X-Rays?
- Industrial Sized X-Ray Machines Needed
- Fat Gets in the Way
- Americans ‘too fat for x-rays’
- Fat: The X-Ray Blocker?
- Radiology – Too Fat to Get X-Ray (RedNova)
