Unlike other diagnostic tests which only reveal structural changes in the body, PET measures the metabolic and biochemical activity of cells – while providing the exact location of many abnormalities in the body. Information from PET scans can help doctors decide whether surgery is appropriate and, if so, plan the surgery. Tests can also help doctors manage therapy by monitoring response to a given regimen.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How long does it take and does it hurt?
• For what treatment areas can PET be used as a diagnostic tool?
• How does PET technology work?
• What is being injected for the PET scan?
• Who administers the tests and operates the mobile PET unit?
• How do I prepare for the scan?
• What will happen after the scan?
• Click Here for our PET press release.

Pictured above, a diagram of the mobile PET unit.

How long does it take and does it hurt?

In most cases you will be on the scanner table for about an hour. However, you could be in the department for up to three hours. The scan itself causes no pain.

For what treatment areas can PET be used as a diagnostic tool?

Oncology - PET provides vital information that can diagnose cancers, alter the course of treatment and sometimes help prevent unwarranted surgery. PET is especially useful in detecting lung and colorectal cancer, lymphoma and melanoma.

PET also helps doctors:

• Differentiate scar tissue from a tumor and benign from malignant lesions
• Determine the extent to which cancer has spread throughout the body
• Monitor cancer recurrences
• Monitor the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation. 

Cardiology - PET enables physicians to screen heart disease and to evaluate damage from a heart attack to determine if a patient will benefit from bypass surgery.

Neurology - PET can detect the early signs of neurological diseases and dementias including Alzheimer’s Disease, Epilepsy, Huntington's Disease, Pick's Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Vascular Dementia.

PET is the only test available for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Early detection of Alzheimer's allows for:

• Early drug therapy to slow the loss of the patient's ability function.

• Future planning before loss of mental capacity.

• A positive and accurate diagnosis of other dementing processes, chronic depression, and normal aging.

• Help in the discovery and development of new therapies.

How does PET technology work?

Prior to a scan, a patient is injected with a small amount of signal-emitting tracers – the most common tracer used is a glucose-based substance called FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) – through an IV line. The patient is required to rest for about an hour to enable the tracers to travel throughout the body.

As the patient lies motionless on a motorized gurney, the PET scanner which records signals emitted by the tracers as they journey through the body. A computer reconstructs the signals into full-body, 3-D images for evaluation by radiologists. These images can be rotated or enlarged and manipulated in other ways to aid in diagnosis. Abnormal tissues appear as dark spots on a PET scan.

A very small amount of radioactive-labeled glucose, the same amount of radiation received in other radiology procedures such as CT scans. Most of the radioactivity will be gone by the time patients leave the PET unit.

Under the guidance of a team of physicians and radiologists, two registered nuclear medicine technologists administer the PET scans.

How do I prepare for the scan?

• Eating: You should not eat for four hours prior to your appointment. Also refrain from exercising for 24 hours prior to your scan.
• Medications: We will ask you what medications you take when you schedule your appointment. You will be provided with further instructions at that time.
• Claustrophobia: Most claustrophobic patients are able to tolerate a PET scan. Only the part of your body being scanned will be in the machine. In addition, the scanner makes little noise.

What will happen after the scan?

It is important for you to drink as much as possible for the rest of the day and to empty your bladder as often as possible. This will result in a more rapid clearance of radioactivity from your body. You can drive and resume normal activities immediately after your scan, unless you have received sedation.