Practical planning guide · Shanghai enquiries
Whole-Body MRI, PET/MR or MRI + DWI: Clarify the Request Before Booking
By MyChinaCheckup coordination team · Published · Planning content reviewed
A request for a “whole-body scan” leaves several decisions open. Start with the clinical question, then confirm the exact examination, provider, scope and written quote. Routine screening, MRI, PET/MR and expanded carrier screening (ECS) are separate requests.
This is a practical planning guide, not a completed customer case, testimonial or recommendation to buy a scan. No appointment, hospital partnership, provider qualification or medical outcome is established by this page.
Start with a clinician’s question
Say whether the purpose is preventive screening, assessment of a concern, or follow-up under an existing clinician. The receiving clinician decides whether imaging is appropriate and which protocol answers the question. A larger scan or a higher price does not establish a better choice. The decision may be a consultation first, a different examination, or no additional scan.
The American College of Radiology’s total-body MRI statement finds insufficient evidence to recommend this screening for people without symptoms, relevant risk factors or a suggestive family history. Incidental findings may lead to further investigations and costs. A normal scan cannot exclude every disease or replace appropriate clinical assessment.
For an established cancer diagnosis, the treating specialist should choose imaging for the particular clinical question; these enquiries do not establish a universal staging or follow-up test. Routine check-up planning and a specialist consultation can be booked as separately accepted steps.
Keep the three imaging enquiries separate
The existing MRI enquiry page records three separate indicative enquiries. Use that page for their stated amounts and qualifications. They are not one combined package or a current hospital-confirmed quotation. Confirm how each amount applies to each person before using it in a budget.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| Enquiry | Meaning to preserve | Confirmation still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Original whole-body MRI enquiry | An MRI-only request. “Whole-body” does not specify every organ, region or sequence. | Actual coverage, sequence list, provider and campus, safety review, contrast, price basis and deliverables. |
| Whole-body PET/MR | PET combined with MRI. The PET tracer contributes ionising radiation. Only a specified FDG tracer supports a description about glucose metabolism. | Clinical indication, tracer, actual coverage, MRI contrast if any, preparation, appointment and separate written inclusions. |
| Provider-named “whole-body mMR” — MRI + DWI, no PET in this enquiry | The supplied enquiry description means MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), without PET. “mMR” is not a universal MRI-only name; other systems use it for PET/MR. | The full scan specification, confirmation that no PET is involved, coverage and sequence differences from the original MRI enquiry, and its own quote. |
NCI explains the PET and MRI components. MRI itself uses no ionising radiation, but that does not mean it has no risks: implant and device screening, other safety checks and any contrast decision still matter. Follow the performing team’s assessment and MRI safety guidance.
Do not copy the original MRI enquiry’s scan-duration estimate, booking notice or report estimate to either additional enquiry. None automatically includes English accompaniment, translation, DICOM files or a results consultation. Confirm each service explicitly. The Ren’ai package-linked single-region MRI addition is a different offer and cannot be used as a whole-body or standalone price.
Keep ECS outside the imaging plan
ECS is a separate genetics-related request, not a scan, an imaging upgrade or an inclusion in any of the three imaging prices. Use the existing expanded carrier screening planning guide to discuss the consultation route, laboratory, panel, counselling, consent, costs and timing.
No ECS provider, price or turnaround is verified by these imaging enquiries. For a couple, keep each person’s acceptance, consent, records access and quoted charges separate. Travelling together does not establish joint consent or one shared clinical plan.
Resolve the written-confirmation checklist
- Purpose and acceptance: the clinical question, responsible clinician, any consultation or order first, and whether the request is accepted.
- Provider and protocol: the actual healthcare provider, campus and qualifications to perform the service; exact scan name, body coverage, sequences, PET tracer if applicable and contrast decision.
- Price basis: whether the amount is per person, the itemised scope, additional fees, payment recipient, validity and cancellation terms. Keep ECS and each imaging enquiry on separate lines.
- Visit: accepted date, preparation, safety screening, total visit estimate and any separately booked appointment. An enquiry does not hold a slot.
- Records and explanation: original report, languages and translation, image access and format, delivery dates, responsible clinician and any separate review fee. Confirm overseas access before departure.
If dates are not fixed, a provisional comparison can still start. Mark the city or month as undecided and request the unresolved answers before committing to travel. See planning before dates are fixed and choosing a day during a short stay.
Start with a minimal planning brief
Give your preferred city or “undecided”, approximate dates, number of people and question category. You can simply say “imaging options” or “a separate ECS consultation”.
No full medical history, medical records, passport details or children’s identifying information belongs in the ordinary enquiry form. If records are needed, agree an explicit private channel and the intended recipient first.
Published package service inclusions are stated for confirmed visits on or before 31 December 2026. For 2027 or later, obtain written reconfirmation of service scope, fees and terms; do not carry the 2026 offer forward automatically.