Whole body MRI, or total body MRI, studies the whole body in a single session, without ionizing radiation or contrast medium. In the NefroCenter Group it is performed at the Rome American Hospital in Roma, on a 3 Tesla MRI scanner. It is used in oncology and, in specific situations, as screening: it must be decided with the physician.
International guidelines recommend whole body MRI in specific situations, such as some genetic cancer predisposition syndromes and multiple myeloma. As screening in the general population, however, the evidence is not sufficient: in 2023 the American College of Radiology did not consider it justified to recommend it to those without symptoms, risk factors or a family history suggesting a disease. With risk factors or a family history the physician decides, assessing the individual’s risk.
This page does not replace the physician’s opinion.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a magnetic field and radiofrequency pulses, without ionizing radiation, and makes the soft tissues, such as the brain, spinal cord and muscles, clearly visible.
Whole body, or total body, MRI is not limited to one region: it studies the whole body in a single session. The Rome American Hospital also calls it whole body diffusion MRI (WB-DWI). In studies, diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI) have shown high sensitivity for tumors in several regions of the body.
It is a panoramic examination: if it reveals an abnormality in an organ, specific investigations are needed.
For the first two situations whole body MRI is recommended by international guidelines; the others are indicated by the Rome American Hospital. The physician always decides.
In the typical screening protocol described in the literature, the study runs from the head to mid-thigh, with T1-weighted, T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted sequences. In oncology it is increasingly used also in tumors that tend to spread to the bone marrow, such as some prostate and breast cancers.
The magnetic field of a 3 Tesla MRI scanner is twice that of 1.5 Tesla systems and produces a richer signal, useful for more detailed images or shorter examinations. For whole body, according to the Rome American Hospital, higher-quality sequences are obtained on the brain, lungs and abdominal organs, in the same examination time. More details on the 3 Tesla MRI page.
In people without symptoms, according to a review of the literature, abnormal findings are found in about 95% of cases: about 30% require further investigations, and less than 2% are reported as suspicious for malignancy. In a meta-analysis of over 9,000 people without symptoms, confirmed cancers were 1.57%. Before the examination, therefore, it must be taken into account that incidental findings are likely and that it is rare for the examination to find a cancer.
The opposite is also true: a negative examination does not rule out every cancer, because in the largest studies sensitivity was between 50 and 90%. Whole body MRI, moreover, is not part of organized cancer screening programs.
You fill in a questionnaire on your state of health, which serves to bring out any contraindications, and sign the consent.
You lie down on the table, which slides into the bore, with no metal objects on you; headphones muffle the noise of the machine.
During the scan you stay still and sometimes hold your breath; you communicate with the staff via intercom and there is a call button.
At the Rome American Hospital the complete scan takes about 30 minutes and involves no contrast medium.
Once the examination is over you resume normal activities immediately; after mild sedation you cannot drive and someone must take you home.
The report is written by a radiologist; the turnaround times are to be asked at the Rome American Hospital when booking.
In the NefroCenter Group, whole body MRI is performed at the Rome American Hospital in Roma, specialized above all in imaging and instrumental diagnostics. The examination takes place on the hospital’s 3 Tesla MRI scanner, a Siemens Magnetom VIDA, with:
Information and bookings: Imaging Diagnostics at the Rome American Hospital, telephone +39 06 2255290.
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In general no special preparation is needed and usual medicines can be taken; doubts are clarified with the physician. Watches, jewelry, piercings, hearing aids and wigs stay outside the room; clothes without metal parts are best.
The compatibility of an implanted device with MRI holds only under precise conditions, including the strength of the magnetic field: those with metal or electronic devices are therefore assessed beforehand, also with regard to 3 Tesla. The following must always be reported:
Compared with X-rays, CT and PET, total body MRI does not use ionizing radiation: this is why MRI is preferred when repeated check-ups at short intervals are needed. In the follow-up of lymphomas that take up the FDG PET-CT tracer little or variably, whole body MRI has shown superior diagnostic performance; in those that take it up, comparable performance.
In the screening of people without symptoms, however, a 2026 meta-analysis finds few cancers detected, frequent incidental findings, non-standardized protocols and a lack of data on long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
At the Rome American Hospital the complete scan takes about 30 minutes; according to the literature, the basic screening protocol is acquired in less than 30 minutes.
At the Rome American Hospital whole body MRI is performed without contrast medium and, like every MRI scan, does not use ionizing radiation. In general no special preparation is needed. With sedation the facility indicates fasting: according to the Italian National Institute of Health, at least 6-8 hours from solid food and liquids.
It is a choice to be made with the physician. In 2023 the American College of Radiology did not consider the evidence sufficient to recommend total body screening to those without symptoms, risk factors or a family history suggesting a disease. A 2026 meta-analysis also judges its clinical usefulness in people without symptoms to be limited today.
No. Organized cancer screening programs, of proven effectiveness, use mammography between 50 and 69 years of age, the Pap test or HPV test between 25 and 64 and the fecal occult blood test between 50 and 69 (some Regions extend the age ranges). Whole body MRI is not among these tests and the Italian National Institute of Health reminds us that in many cases MRI cannot replace other techniques.
It happens often, and almost always it is not a cancer: according to the literature, in people without symptoms about 30% need further investigations and the suspicion of cancer concerns less than 2%. A finding in an organ is investigated with targeted examinations.
The report is written by a radiologist; for whole body MRI the literature recommends radiologists experienced in oncology. The turnaround times are to be asked at the Rome American Hospital when booking.
They must always be reported in the questionnaire. The Rome American Hospital lists among the contraindications pacemakers, other stimulators, and non-compatible metal devices or metal fragments. The Italian Ministry of Health decree of 14 January 2021 allows MRI even with implantable devices such as pacemakers, but case by case, with the cardiologist and assessing whether the examination is justified: the physician in charge decides. Compatibility also depends on the strength of the magnetic field. Tattoos can rarely cause swelling or burns.
A pregnancy, confirmed or suspected, must always be reported. The Rome American Hospital, as a precaution, excludes women in the first trimester from MRI. In the other cases the Ministry of Health decree of 14 January 2021 requires a particularly careful assessment of whether the examination is justified with respect to the clinical question: it is discussed with the physician beforehand.
It is advisable to report it beforehand. Suitable solutions are sought, such as mild sedation assessed with the physician: afterwards you cannot drive and someone must take you home. The 3 Tesla MRI scanner at the Rome American Hospital has a wide bore (70 cm), for a lesser feeling of claustrophobia.
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