<unk> s allow a transparent view of the body. For polytrauma patients, aggressive use of<unk> ning improves early diagnosis of injury and improves survival rates, with widespread adoption of the technique seen worldwide.<unk> s are not indicated in patients with minor or single system trauma, and should be avoided in such patients. Many possible malignancies are discovered with a<unk> -body scan, but these are almost always benign. These may not be related to any disease, and may be benign growths, scar tissue, or the remnants of previous infections. CT scanning for other reasons sometimes identifies these "incidentalomas". However, the significance of radiation exposure as well as costs associated with these studies must be considered, especially in patients with low energy mechanisms of injury and absent physical examination findings consistent with major trauma. A<unk> -body scan has the potential to identify disease (e.g. cancer) in early stages, and early identification can improve the success of curative efforts. Controversy arises from the use of<unk> -body scans in the screening of patients who have no signs or symptoms suggestive of a disease. As with any test that screens for disease, the risks of<unk> s need to be weighed against the benefit of identifying a treatable disease at an early stage. An alternative to a<unk>  may be Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. MRI scans are generally more expensive than CT but do not expose the patient to ionizing radiation and are being evaluated for their potential value in screening.
Full-body CT scan
Whole body imaging
DMSA scan
Skeletal survey
Cone beam computed tomography
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Serum protein electrophoresis
Bone scintigraphy