Obesity Obstacle to Medical Diagnoses

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research reveals as obesity increases in the United States, so does the number of inconclusive diagnostic imaging exams.

Researchers analyzed all radiology exams at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) over 15 years -- between 1989 and 2003. In order to find out how obesity affects imaging quality and diagnosis, researchers looked for incomplete exams that were limited because of a patient's size.

"While 0.10 percent of inconclusive exams were due to patient size in 1989, by 2003 the number had jumped to 0.19 percent, despite advances in imaging technology," reports lead author Raul N. Uppott, M.D., staff radiologist at MGH. "Americans need to know that obesity can hinder their medical care when they enter a hospital."

Results reveal by 2003, the type of imaging with the most diagnosis difficulties due to patient size is abdominal ultrasound. That is followed by several other types of imaging including chest X-rays, abdominal computed tomography (CT), abdominal X-rays, chest CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in general.

Problems with CT and MRI can be due to weight limitations of the imaging table and the size of the opening on the imager. The power can be increased for exams requiring radiation exposure -- such as X-rays and CT -- to try to get a higher-quality image, but that can lead to too much radiation.

Study authors explain there can be serious consequences when obesity is related to incomplete examinations. The patient can be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.

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SOURCE: Radiology, 2006;240:435-439