President Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he underwent a CT scan rather than an MRI during his October examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and that he regrets the decision. “In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” he said. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.”
In late October, Trump told reporters the exam yielded “perfect” results from what he described as an MRI. The White House said in December that “advanced imaging” was performed to check his “cardiovascular and abdominal health.” His doctor, Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, confirmed in a statement to CBS News that it was actually a CT scan. The doctor stated that “we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health” and “asked the president if he would undergo advanced imaging—either an MRI or CT Scan—to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues.” The president agreed, and the CT scan was “perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.”
Medical details and cardiovascular health
CT scans use a series of X-ray pictures to create a 3D image and typically allow doctors to identify conditions like blood clots. MRIs take longer and use magnetic and radio waves to produce more detailed images of organs and soft tissue. Trump does not exercise regularly and has described treadmill exercise as “boring.” He has used aspirin as a blood thinner for over two decades and said he is “a little superstitious” about continuing the practice, explaining, “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart.”
Over the summer, the White House announced the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a “benign and common” vein condition, after he noticed swelling in his legs. Barbabella said the examination revealed no evidence of more serious conditions like deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. Trump has at times displayed visible bruises on his hands, which the White House has attributed to frequent handshaking, consistent with “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/trump-says-he-underwent-ct-scan-not-mri-during-october-77846260