CT, MRI, ultrasound, or a surface scan?
Four different exams, four different things they can see. Here is what each one does, what it cannot do, and where a Smart Scan sits among them.
At a glance.
What each exam can and cannot see.
 Screening CT |
Whole-body MRIMagnetic imaging | Community screeningUltrasound | Surface body scanCameras and sensors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronary calcium score | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lung nodules | Down to a few millimeters | Difficult | No | No |
| Chest, abdomen and pelvis organs | Every major organ | Soft tissue | No | No |
| Abdominal aorta | Yes, with greater precision | Yes | Width only | No |
| Carotid artery | Not reported | Yes | Yes | No |
| Skin and moles | No | No | No | Yes |
| Uses radiation | Yes, low dose | No | No | No |
| Enclosed space | No — an open ring | Tightly enclosed | No | No |
| Time on the table | About 12 seconds | About an hour | Minutes | About 2 minutes |
Compared with a whole-body MRI.
Whole-body MRI uses magnetic fields to image soft tissue, with no radiation. But it takes about an hour in a tightly enclosed scanner, and any movement degrades the images. The radiation dose from a high-speed, low-dose CT scan, by comparison, is very small.
MRI cannot score coronary calcium, one of the strongest predictors of a future heart attack. It also struggles with the lungs, where air and constant motion make small nodules hard to see, which is why lung cancer screening uses CT, not MRI.
Smart Scan scores the calcium in your coronary arteries, resolves lung nodules down to a few millimeters, and images every major organ in your chest, abdomen, and pelvis. The scan itself takes just 12 seconds, providing a comprehensive exam for the early detection of heart disease and cancer.
Compared with a community ultrasound screening.
Community vascular screenings use ultrasound to check the carotid artery for narrowing and measure the width of the abdominal aorta. Two vascular measurements, all taken from the surface.
Smart Scan’s CT captures over a thousand cross-sectional slices, reaching what ultrasound can’t. It measures the same abdominal aorta with greater precision, scores the calcium in your coronary arteries, and images your lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, and pelvic organs. We do not report on the carotid artery.
That’s the difference between knowing two vascular measurements and knowing your heart disease risk and detecting cancer early, the two leading causes of death in the United States.
Compared with a surface body scan.
The newest surface body scans use cameras, sensors, and lasers to map the outside of the body, identifying moles and noting your current skin markings while taking resting heart measurements like rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and arterial stiffness. The scan takes about 2 minutes.
They cannot score coronary calcium or detect early signs of cancer inside the body. Smart Scan does both, in a scan that takes just 12 seconds.
The promise
We have not found a more comprehensive screening exam for the early detection of heart disease and cancer anywhere in the country at this price. If you find a comparable exam for less, we’ll match the price.
David GiorgioneFounder, Smart Scan
$798
One exam, all of it included.
A short call, a fifteen-minute visit with a 12-second scan, and two reports, sent to you and to your physician.
A screening exam, not a diagnostic one. Findings go to you and to your own physician, who will help you decide what follows. Comparisons describe what each type of exam images; they are not a recommendation for or against any of them.
Would you rather talk it through?
Leave your details and someone from Smart Scan will call you. We can answer your questions, find the center nearest you, and book your scan on the phone if you want to.