Scans help you get inside information

The superficial modern world may be obsessed with how you look on the outside but have you ever wondered what lies beneath? There are obvious natural restrictions to peering at your heart or liver and, short of going under the surgeon's knife, there has been no way of determining the exact state of affairs under your skin. But this has changed dramatically with the introduction in the UK of new scanning technology designed to improve disease diagnosis and prevention.

By utilising Electron Beam Tomography (EBT), crystal-clear and highly accurate 3-D computer images of every internal organ in your body can be created. These may reveal abnormalities and could even indicate the possibility of potential diseases up to 30 years before any symptoms are felt.

Such non-invasive body-imaging was impossible before EBT because of the interference caused by the constant beating of the heart. Traditional scanners, using an X-ray tube which mechanically revolves around the body, have too slow an exposure time and lead to blurred images which cannot be interpreted.

An EBT scanner has no moving parts and instead generates an electron beam which passes through a person's body, producing a series of cross-sectional 2-D X-ray images, or slices, between heartbeats. A person having a full EBT body scan has to lie under an arch-shaped scanner for 15 minutes, holding their breath at regular but short intervals while a series of images is taken of each organ. These X-rays are captured between heartbeats at a 0.1sec exposure time - up to 20 times faster than the traditional method - producing 40 to 50 scans of a particular organ in a single held breath.

Advanced computer software is then used to translate the 2-D scans into an accurate 3-D virtual reconstruction which can be viewed from any angle. This is achieved by stacking together the sliced images in order, obtaining the third dimension from the position of each slice relative to the others.

The resulting pictures are striking and, according to Richard Underwood, professor of cardiac imaging at Imperial College London, could revolutionise disease detection. He said: 'EBT is the only established non-invasive method we have of looking at the coronary artery, where plaque may form.

'Hence it gives us the best hope yet of detecting disease at an early stage when it may be possible to stabilise it through lifestyle changes or medical treatment and to prevent future damage to the heart.'

Sadly, you can't get EBT scans on the NHS yet. They are only available at the European Scanning Clinic in Harley Street, London W1, for £500.