President Donald Trump said he underwent an MRI scan during a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday during a weeklong tour of Asia.
Trump, who at age 79 is the oldest president in US history, did not say why he had the scan, which can be used to check for a variety of problems.
The scan came during Trump’s visit to Walter Reed earlier this month, when his doctor said he was in “exceptional health.”
“The doctors said (they were) some of the best reports, age-wise, they’ve ever seen,” Trump said Monday.
Asked why he got an MRI instead of magnetic resonance imaging, Trump told reporters to “ask the doctor.”
Presidential physician Dr. Sean Barbabella said in a statement at the time that Trump’s appointment was a “scheduled follow-up evaluation as part of his ongoing health care plan” and included advanced imaging, laboratory testing and a preventive health evaluation.
The president is “demonstrating excellent overall health”, Dr Barbella said.
According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), MRI scans use strong magnetic fields to create images of the inside of a patient’s body and are particularly useful for viewing soft tissues.
Earlier this year, the White House announced that Trump had been diagnosed with a medical condition called chronic venous insufficiency.
Press secretary Carolyn Levitt said that Trump had noticed swelling in his leg, which he checked with his doctor, who diagnosed him with the condition.
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when the veins in the legs do not allow blood to flow to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs. According to a note from Barbebella, it is “mild and common” in older individuals.
Trump was also recently photographed with a patch of makeup on the back of his hand. The White House said it was not related to a vein condition but to frequent handshakes causing bruising.
Post Comment