Whole-body MRI for preventive health screening: A systematic review of the literature

Background The yield of whole-body MRI for preventive health screening is currently not completely clear. Purpose To systematically review the prevalence of whole-body MRI findings in asymptomatic subjects. Study Type Systematic review and meta-analysis. Subjects MEDLINE and Embase were searched for original studies reporting whole-body MRI findings in asymptomatic adults without known disease, syndrome, or genetic mutation. Twelve studies, comprising 5373 asymptomatic subjects, were included. Field Strength/Sequence 1.5T or 3.0T, whole-body MRI. Assessment The whole-body MRI literature findings were extracted and reviewed by two radiologists in consensus for designation as either critical or indeterminate incidental finding. Statistical Tests Data were pooled using a random effects model on the assumption that most subjects had 5-year) verification of negative findings. Only one study reported false-negative findings, with a proportion of 2.0%. Data Conclusion Prevalence of critical and indeterminate incidental whole-body MRI findings in asymptomatic subjects is overall substantial and with variability dependent to some degree on the protocol. Verification data are lacking. The proportion of false-positive findings appears to be substantial. Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:1489-1503.