PET Scan
A PET scan (Position Emission Tomography) is a unique type of scan that helps your doctor see how the organs and tissues inside your body are functioning. They are commonly used to detect certain types of cancer.
How do I prepare for a PET Scan?
When you schedule your appointment you will receive a set of instructions to follow. Diabetic patients will receive additional instructions. Innovis Health offers PET scans on a specialized mobile unit that comes to the hospital once a week.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment. Once you have been registered, you will be guided to the mobile unit where you will receive a radiopharmeceutical given intravenously by a certified technologist. You will then wait 1-hour on the unit for the radiotracer to circulate throughout your body.
The radiopharmeceutical most commonly used is F-18 FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose.) This radiotracer is glucose based and is harmless to the body.
The scanner in which you will then be tested is a large machine with a round, doughnut shaped hole in the middle, similar to a CT unit. Once in the exam room, you will be asked to lie on your back with your arms above your head. The technologist will perform the exam while observing you from behind a window. The scan will usually last between 30-60 minutes.
About your PET Scan
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images can provide important information about many conditions affecting the heart, brain and other organs, which will help your doctor plan appropriate treatment for you.
PET images are different than those from more conventional imaging equipment, such as X-ray, CT, ultrasound, or MRI. These images show what the tissues look like and they contain information about tissue function.
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