PET Scan - Overview
PET Scan - Overview & Techniques
Archer Radiology offers positron emission tomography (PET), one of several molecular imaging techniques for producing three-dimensional pictures of organs and tissues in the body. PET scanning is the imaging technique most commonly used in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions, including cancer, heart conditions, and Alzheimer's disease. PET imaging is efficient, painless, and safe.
The use of PET scanning has become increasingly widespread since the introduction of the technique in the 1970s. The PET/CT scanner was named by Time magazine as the medical invention of the year 2000.
For a PET scan Archer Radiology injects the patient with a tiny amount of a radioactive tracer, the glucose analog fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This travels through the body, emitting positrons as signals that are readable by detectors in the PET scanner. A computer then assembles the signals into images.
Archer Radiology interprets the results of the PET scan and reports them to the physician who ordered the tests. A verbal report is made the day of the scan, and a written report follows within the week.
PET Scan - Alternative Names & Explanations
Positron emission topography, PET imaging, PET scans, imaging test, nuclear medicine imaging techniquePET Scan - Benefits
- Detecting cancer, brain disorders, heart conditions and other diseases
- Properly diagnosing diseases
- Prompting changes to the management of patient care
- Helping physicians gain a clear understanding of where the disease is occurring and how aggressive it is
- Helping physicians and patients decide on courses of treatment tailored to patients' individual conditions and needs
- Helping determine how effective treatments are and whether they are working as intended
- Eliminating the need for unnecessary surgeries after treatments are finished
- Detecting whether the disease is recurring after treatments are completed
- Assisting physicians in determing a site appropriate for biopsy if necessary
PET Scan - Common Positive Findings
PET is a powerful tool for diagnosing and determining the stages of many types of cancer, including lung, head and neck, colorectal, esophageal, lymphoma, melanoma, breast, thyroid, cervical, pancreatic and brain cancers.
PET scans can eliminate the need for surgical biopsy because PET can detect whether lesions are benign or malignant. PET is currently the most effective way to check for cancer recurrence. It can also be used to determine whether chemotherapy or other treatments are working as intended, as well as help individuals avoid unnecessary or unproductive surgery or treatment.Brain disorders—PET scans can detect the onset of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders. Early detection can give patients access to therapies that are more effective in the beginning stages of the disease. For epilepsy patients, PET is one of the most accurate methods available to pinpoint areas of the brain causing epileptic seizures and for determining whether surgery is an option for treatment.
Heart problems—In addition, PET scans can detect cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease and heart damage following a heart attack. PET scans can pinpoint areas of decreased blood flow, such as those with blockages, and differentiate living muscle from damaged muscle. This information is particularly important for patients considering procedures such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery following a heart attack.How is the procedure performed?
When disease strikes, the biochemistry of an individual's tissues and cells changes. In cancer, for example, cells multiply at a much faster rate than normal cells, feeding on sugars like glucose.
If an individual has cancer or cancer is suspected, a nuclear medicine or molecular imaging specialist performs a PET scan to see exactly what is going on inside that person's body. During a PET scan, a patient is injected with a very small amount of a radiotracer such as fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which contains both sugar and a radioactive element. The radiotracer travels through the body and is absorbed by the tissues or the organ being studied. The patient then lies down on an examining table and is moved to the center of a PET scanner. The scanner contains an array of detectors that receive signals emitted by the radiotracer. Using these signals, the PET scanner measures metabolic activity while a computer reassembles the signals into images.
PET Scan - Images
PET Scan - References & Links
- www.snm.org/facts
- SNM Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence
- Podoloff DA, Advani RH, Allred C, Benson AB, Brown E, Burstein HJ, Carlson RW, Coleman RE, Czuczman MS, Delbeke D, Edge SB, Ettinger DS, Grannis FW, Hillner BE, Hoffman JM, Keil K, Komaki R, Larson SM, Mankoff DA, Rozenzweig KE, Skibber JM, Yahalom J, Yu JM, Zelenetz AD. NCCN Task Force Report: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed tomography (CT) scanning in cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2007;May;5 Suppl 1: S1-S22
- Hatayama K, Watanabe H, Ahmed AR, Yanagawa T, Shinozaki T, Oriuchi N, Aoki J, Takeuchi K, Endo K, Takagishi K. Evaluation of hemangioma by positron emission tomography: role in a multimodality approach. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2003 Jan-Feb;27:70-7.
- Bybel B, Raja S. Vertebral hemangiomas on FDG PET scan. Clin Nucl Med, 2003 Jun;28;522-3.
- http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp
- http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=7988
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