A new image

"I'm a huge fan of the AccuScan process," he said. "I think everybody should have it done, and I think that our health care system should help pay for it. Look at the money I saved the system by preventing a heart attack."

Ultrasound, another side of the health imaging spectrum, is also experiencing rapid growth.

Fetal Fotos offers two- and three-dimensional ultrasound images for pregnant women, starting at $75 and going up to $115. The company, which had fewer than 10 stores two years ago, now has nearly double that number of locations nationwide, including two in Utah. The company says it provides a "bonding experience" for parents as part of a larger wellness approach.

However, earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its FDA Consumer Magazine named Fetal Fotos in a warning issued about ultrasound "keepsake" photos.

"The FDA is warning women about the potential hazards of getting keepsake videos," the article stated. "The agency also is warning companies against creating them for entertainment purposes. While ultrasound has been around for many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all that remains unknown, having a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea."

Further, the Society of Medical Diagnostic Sonography, Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology say that ultrasounds should be used for medical purposes only.

According to its Web site, Fetal Fotos maintains that its procedure is safe, that it complies with FDA guidelines and that it requires the consent of its clients' prenatal physician. Representatives from the company could not be reached for comment.

Both AccuScan and Fetal Fotos say their purpose is not to replace traditional medical care. Both say their facilities are staffed with qualified medical professionals and that they offer the latest and best in equipment. Also, neither AccuScan nor the "free-standing" ultrasound facilities are covered by health insurance.

Dr. Andy Peiffer, medical director of the Men's Health Center in Salt Lake City, said the center makes AccuScan screenings a part of its regimen.

"In the context of our screening program and our executive physicals, it's either part of our package, or we recommend that our patients get it done," Peiffer said. While the "gold standard" to detect heart disease is to see it up close in an angiogram, it's not practical to have that procedure done as a preventative measure, he said.

"One in every three people on the operating table has an 'event' that requires the paddles to be charged up," Peiffer said. "It's not without its risks.