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What is PET?
Is
PET Safe?
What is a
radiopharmaceutical?
Are there potential side
effects to a PET scan?
Are there alternatives to
PET?
How does a PET scan differ
from CT or MRI scans?
Is a PET scan painless?
How accurate is PET?
How does PET see cancer
cells?
How does the glucose
affect a diabetic patient?
What is PET?
PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. It
is a procedure that produces powerful images of
the human body's biological functions. PET scans
are safe and can be performed in a few hours as
an outpatient procedure. Unlike conventional
imaging systems such as x-rays, CTs, ultrasounds
and MRIs, PET does not show body structure
(anatomy). Instead, PET shows the chemical
function (metabolism) of an organ or tissue.
Is
PET Safe?
The risks associated with a PET scan are very
minimal. The quantity of radiation is low and
the FDG degrades quickly so that no detectable
radioactivity is present after several hours. In
addition to the radioactive decomposition, the
remaining FDG is eliminated from the body
through urine. Family members are not at risk
for exposure since greater than 90% of the
radioactivity has left the body or decomposed
before the patient has left the center.
What is
a radiopharmaceutical?
A radiopharmaceutical is a radioactive drug. The
most commonly used PET radiopharmaceutical is
FDG, which is a radioactive form of glucose
(sugar). Radiopharmaceuticals are produced by
physicists and chemists.
Are there potential side effects to a PET scan?
No, there are no side effects to having a PET
scan performed.
How does the glucose affect a diabetic patient?
Not at all. It’s such a small amount that it
will not adversely affect diabetics.
Are
there alternatives to PET?
Yes and no. There are examinations that can be
performed. However, there is no other metabolic
(biological) scanning technique other than PET
at this time. CT and MRI, for example, both
examine the anatomical (physical) structure.
Therefore, they can be useful in determining the
size and location of a tumor; however, neither
of them can determine whether a tumor is still
active.
No other imaging tool exists that scans for
brain disorders.
How does a PET scan differ from CT or MRI scans?
CT and MRI scans are anatomic imaging
modalities, which means they look at the size
and shape of organs and body structures. A PET
scan is a metabolic imaging modality, which
means it looks at function. The information
collected from a PET scan is different from any
other test that is available.
Is a PET scan
painless?
The only pain involved is the needle prick when
you receive the radiopharmaceutical injection,
which does not differ from any other type of
injection.
How accurate is
PET?
PET is very accurate in showing the presence or
spread of many malignant tumors. For example, it
is more accurate in detecting the spread of lung
cancer and colon cancer than any other imaging
method currently available. A high dose of
accuracy has also been demonstrated in
evaluating recurrent breast cancer, melanoma,
lymphoma, ovarian cancer, brain cancer,
pancreatic cancer, and tumors of the head and
neck.
How does
PET see cancer cells?
The patient is injected with a small amount of
radioactive tracer attached to a simple glucose
compound. Ever cell in your body requires
glucose, but abnormal cells,which are highly
metabolic (such as cancerous cells) require more
glucose then normal cells. Abnormal cells
attract the radioactive tracer with glucose more
then normal cells. The areas of abnormality show
up as ‘hot spots’ on the 3-dimensional scan.
How does the glucose affect a diabetic patient?
Not at all. It’s such a small amount that it
will not adversely affect diabetics. |
