San Diego clinics›Full-body MRI
San Diego · Guide · Full-body MRI

Full-body MRI in San Diego

One scan that looks across your whole body for problems you can't feel yet. Here's what it can and can't show, what it costs, and which San Diego clinics offer it.

Main tests
A full-body MRI Head, chest, belly, pelvis and spine
What you do
About an hour lying still No radiation
You get
A radiologist's read A finding means a next step
San Diego photograph by Tyrel Johnson · Unsplash

Your options, in plain English

A full-body MRI scans your head, chest, belly, pelvis and spine in about an hour, with no radiation. It can spot things early, but it often finds small, harmless spots that need more tests to rule out. It adds to your regular screenings, it doesn't replace them.

Think of it like a home inspection. The inspector finds something in almost every house, and most of it is minor. The useful part is knowing which items actually need fixing.

Whole-body MRI

Images head to pelvis with magnets and radio waves, no radiation. Strong on soft tissue like organs and the brain. It does not measure anything chemical, like cholesterol or blood sugar.

Cash price: $499 to $3,900

Whole-body CT

Covers similar ground with X-rays. Faster and good on bone, but it uses radiation, and the FDA does not see a benefit for people without symptoms.

A scan of one area

An MRI of just the brain, heart or belly, usually because something in your history points there.

Prices that clinics publish on their own websites, across all the cities we cover. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic.

Showing 3 clinics that publish full-body mri in San Diego

How we order clinics
Tina Ziainia, MD, FACOG, Human Longevity, San Diego

Human Longevity, San Diego

Eastgate Technology Park, San Diego
Whole-body baselineCancer risk & screeningMetabolic health & blood sugar

Human Longevity's flagship clinic sits in Eastgate Technology Park near UC San Diego, where a single private day covers whole genome sequencing, whole body and brain MRI, cardiac imaging and hundreds of blood biomarkers. Twelve clinicians are named across the company's two California clinics, with Dr. Tina Ziainia as San Diego's medical director. Results live in a platform you keep. Led by Tina Ziainia, MD, Keon Pearson, MD, Neha Ravi, DO and 5 more.

Tests & services

Comprehensive biomarker panel Continuous glucose monitoring Coronary calcium score DEXA scan +9 more
See if it’s a fit
Prenuvo San Diego clinic

Prenuvo San Diego

Del Mar Heights, San Diego
Whole-body baselineAdvanced diagnostics & emerging careBrain & cognition

Prenuvo's San Diego clinic on Del Mar Heights Road books whole-body MRI screening from a quarter to eight in the morning, Monday to Friday. The scan is published as a radiation-free, contrast-free multiparametric protocol covering the brain, spine, abdomen and pelvis in under an hour, read by a specialist radiology team. Blood panels and a provider results review sit alongside it in the memberships.

Tests & services

Comprehensive biomarker panel Full-body MRI Brain MRI with volumetrics
See if it’s a fit

iThriveMD Encinitas

Encinitas
Advanced diagnostics & emerging careMedical weight lossMen’s health & testosterone

iThriveMD Encinitas sits on North El Camino Real and opens seven days a week, serving Encinitas, Carlsbad, Solana Beach and Cardiff. The menu names the molecule in almost every case: semaglutide, tirzepatide, sermorelin, PT-141, metformin, methylene blue, low-dose naltrexone, NAD+ and enclomiphene. Labs and a whole-body MRI sit under Diagnostics, and twelve clinicians are named across the group. Led by Dr. Samir Damani, MD.

Tests & services

Full-body MRI GLP-1 weight loss program Peptide therapy IV vitamin therapy +7 more
See if it’s a fit

How a scan appointment usually goes

  1. Safety check first

    Implants, metal, kidney function, pregnancy, and whether tight spaces bother you. This decides if MRI is possible.

  2. The scan

    About an hour lying still, sometimes holding your breath. Ask which areas your booking covers.

  3. A radiologist reads it

    Ask who reads yours, how long it takes, and whether your doctor gets the report too.

  4. What comes next

    A clear scan means deciding when, or whether, to scan again. A finding means a next step. Ask if follow-up is included.

If you have a symptom that worries you, see your doctor. A screening scan isn't built for that.

Go deeper

Common questions

Which clinics in San Diego publish full-body mri?

3 in our San Diego guide: Human Longevity, San Diego, Prenuvo San Diego and iThriveMD Encinitas.

Is a full-body scan worth it if I feel fine?

The evidence is still out. Radiologists say there isn't enough proof to recommend it for people with no symptoms, risk factors or family history, mostly because of how many harmless findings it turns up. That doesn't mean it finds nothing real. It means it hasn't been shown to help healthy people live longer yet.

Does a clear scan mean I don't have cancer?

No. A scan only shows what is big enough and different enough to see. Some cancers are too small, and some sit where the scan looks less closely. A clear result is reassuring, not a guarantee.

What's the difference between MRI and CT?

MRI uses magnets and radio waves, no radiation, and shows soft tissue in more detail. It's slower and louder, and not possible with some implants. CT uses X-rays, is much quicker, and is good on bone, but it does use radiation. Ask which one you're booking and why.

Does this replace the screening my doctor recommends?

No, and most clinics offering scans say so too. The standard screens each look closely at one part of the body and have trials behind them. Our cancer screening guide explains how they fit together.

What does it cost, and will insurance cover it?

The clinics we list that publish a price charge $499 to $3,900, and it's usually self-pay. Ask whether the radiologist's report and any follow-up scan are included in the price. Our guides on cost and insurance go deeper.

How do you decide which clinics appear on this page?

A clinic appears here when its own published material shows it offers full-body scanning at that location.

Sources (5)
  1. American College of Radiology, statement on screening total body MRI
  2. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Computed Tomography (CT)
  4. American College of Radiology, Incidental Findings
  5. National Cancer Institute, Cancer Screening Overview (PDQ) for patients

This page is educational information, not medical advice, and it is not a recommendation to have or to skip any scan. Whether imaging like this is useful for you depends on your age, your family history and your personal risk, so discuss it with a clinician who knows your history. If you have a symptom that concerns you, seek a medical evaluation rather than a screening scan.

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