A whole-body MRI scan is a gentle, radiation-free imaging method that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of your entire body in just one session. It captures important areas such as the head and brain, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, spine, joints, blood vessels, and soft tissues like muscles – all without any radiation exposure.

A whole-body scan can help detect a variety of diseases and abnormalities and derive appropriate treatment recommendations. These include tumor diseases and metastases, inflammations, infections, brain conditions (e.g. Multiple sclerosis) and vascular changes such as aneurysms. For more information, check out our blog article "MRI 101".

The main focus is on areas where the most common diseases and abnormalities occur: the brain, chest, abdominal organs, and spine. These regions are crucial for the early detection of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, aneurysms, and other serious health issues.

The legs below the mid-thigh are deliberately excluded, as life-threatening conditions that cause no symptoms are rare in this area. This allows us to scan efficiently and precisely, providing the best possible insights for your health – in a short time and with maximum accuracy.

An MRI scan lasts about 50 minutes and takes place at one of our partner clinics. During the scan, you lie in a tube that produces state-of-the-art images of your body. However, your comfort is taken care of: a built-in mirror allows you to look outside, so you feel less confined. If you are claustrophobic, you can use a nasal spray beforehand to make breathing easier. If you are severely claustrophobic, mild sedatives are available to make the scan more comfortable.

During the scan, you may be asked to do simple breathing exercises to improve the quality of the images. You will never be alone - the medical staff will be in contact with you throughout the scan and will always be available to answer questions or provide support. Our aim is to make the scan as comfortable as possible for you.

Our scans are not covered by basic health insurance, but some supplementary insurance plans may reimburse a portion of the costs. We recommend checking directly with your insurer to see if they cover preventive check-ups.

If you have a KPT supplementary insurance, up to 75% of the costs may be covered as part of our partnership. However, we still recommend confirming this directly with KPT to ensure coverage under your specific policy.

If you need a cost estimate, feel free to reach out to us anytime at +41 79 158 3000. We're happy to help!

No, we do not use contrast agents in our whole-body MRI scans.

While contrast agents are often helpful in radiology to better visualise certain tissues or structures, they are not always necessary and can cause side effects or allergic reactions in some people.

Our whole-body MRI scans utilise advanced multiparametric imaging, which provides up to 13 different tissue contrasts without the need for contrast agents. This technology allows us to reliably detect many health abnormalities without any additional risks or strain on the body.

For specific questions - for example, in tumour diagnostics or certain vascular diseases - a contrast agent may be useful in specialised examinations. However, our focus is on offering a comprehensive, gentle and low-risk preventive examination for the entire body.

A whole-body MRI is the perfect health check-up for people who want a comprehensive overview of their health – especially if they don't have any specific complaints. It was designed specifically for healthy individuals who want to ensure they are not carrying any undetected risks.

While specific MRIs are often more detailed for targeted examinations of individual regions such as the knee, heart or brain, they also require targeted indications of a problem and much more time to cover different areas one after the other. A whole-body MRI, on the other hand, offers a fast and reliable way to check the entire body for potential abnormalities in just one scan.

It does not replace the detail of a specialised MRI for specific symptoms, but this is precisely where the advantage lies: A whole-body MRI covers a wide range of health risks, often before symptoms even appear. If something is discovered, it can then be investigated in a targeted manner with a specialised MRI or further examinations.

This makes the whole-body MRI the ideal solution for proactive health care and the first choice for anyone who wants to gain clarity about their health status comprehensively, efficiently and in a time-saving manner.

Before your MRI scan, please inform the radiology staff about any implants (breast implants, metal implants), pacemakers, medications, allergies or pregnancy. You should also remove all metal objects and jewellery. If you suffer from claustrophobia, it is important that you let us know beforehand.

Prior to the examination, you should not eat anything for 4 hours and only drink water.