In this episode of the Optispan Podcast, Matt Kaeberlein shares his experience of undergoing a whole body MRI, discussing its potential as a screening and preventative tool for health optimization. He covers the benefits and drawbacks of whole body MRIs, shares specific details about his experience with the provider Ezra, and reflects on his results, emphasizing the importance of having quality follow-up care. Kaeberlein concludes with advice on avoiding overpriced MRI packages marketed by influencers.

Check out the links below for further information and/or reading about some of the things we discussed in this podcast episode. Note that we do not necessarily endorse or agree with the content of these readings, but present them as supplementary material that may deepen your understanding of the topic after you listen to our podcast. This list is in no way exhaustive, but it’s a good start!

Clinical Applications and Controversies of Whole-Body MRI: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review

This study evaluates the clinical applications and major challenges with whole-body MRI assessment. The authors conclude that this technology is most suitable for cancer detection and prevention of malignancies, especially in individuals with several risk factors. Further, MRI’s offer further value for screening for osteomyelitis, myopathies, inflammatory arthritis, and degenerative disk conditions. Overall there are several disease risks whole body MRI could be used to distinguish it from other screening technologies, but detection of these conditions have limited value without follow up consultation to address abnormalities. Further MRI’s are sensitive to incidentalomas (benign clinical findings that incur further anxiety, money, and follow up time), accessibility and cost, and lack of standardized imaging protocols and reporting criteria, which can lead to variability in interpretation and diagnostic accuracy.

Will a Full-Body MRI Scan Help You or Hurt You? | The New Yorker

This New Yorker article discusses the potential use cases for routine full body MRI’s as a screening technology that can be utilized to support healthy aging. Many of the challenges include distinguishing between harmless and potentially harmful findings, which can lead to overdiagnosis, unnecessary anxiety and potentially overtreatment associated with risk of side effects. The authors suggest that currently, there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of full-body MRI scans in asymptomatic individuals without specific risk factors. Full-body MRI scans have demonstrated utility in certain high-risk groups, such as individuals who have a significantly increased risk of developing various cancers. In these cases, the benefits of early detection may justify the use of comprehensive imaging. As Matt discusses in the podcast, advances in AI and machine learning may make data from full body MRI scans more actionable, accessible, and impactful in regards to detecting aspects of age-related decline that can be detected years before disease arises and corresponding treatment regimens to mitigate risk and optimize health.

Comprehensive full body MRI scan for preventative care | Prenuvo

Prenuvo is one of the full body MRI services that Matt discusses in the podcast which is popularly considered the “gold standard” of full body MRI providers

Full-Body MRI Screening Service by ezra

Ezra is another full body MRI service that Matt discusses in the podcast. This is the service that Matt utilized (due to convenience) and evaluates his experience and datat. The positive aspects of Ezra is that it was easy to schedule an appointment as a DTC service and the visualization platform was high quality. The challenges are that scheduling was difficult and there was no follow up care based on results. Matt recommends making sure to have some follow up service (physician or expert) that can help contextualize and interpret the full body MRI results.

neuroagetx.com

Matt mentions he is the advisor for the company NeuroAge therapeutics which has developed and offers several cutting-edge early diagnostic tests for evaluating cognitive decline and detecting risk for neurodegenerative disease decades before disease is formally diagnosed. Diagnostic tests include an RNA-based blood test and brain MRI scans.