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- When is PET/CT appropriate?
- Positron Emission Tomography is a non-invasive diagnostic
radiology procedure . Unlike X-ray, stand-alone CT or
MRI, which show body structure, PET/CT allows physicians
to detect an increase in the metabolic activity of tissue.
- PET/CT is useful in the detection
of:
- Lung cancer
- Lymphoma
- Melanoma
- Colorectal Carcinoma
- Breast Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Brain Imaging
- Myocardial Viability
- Head and Neck Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
- New uses for PET/CT are being approved all the
time
- What happens during your visit
- Upon arrival at Magnetic Imaging of Baltimore a member
of our staff will interview you. Following this, your
blood glucose level will be tested. One drop of blood
will be obtained using a small finger stick device.
Shortly after, an IV will be placed and a small amount
of FDG will be injected. For the next 45 minutes you
will relax in a comfortable and quiet environment. This
is the time in which your body is metabolizing the injected
glucose. Next, you will be asked to empty your bladder
prior to the start of the imaging procedure.
- Plan to spend up to 3 hours with us for your PET scan.
Most visits last about two hours, and the actual scan time
is far less than that.
- How safe is PET/CT?
- PET/CT is very safe. The
radiopharmaceutical used in PET/CT scanning has a very short
half-life (110 minutes). FDG has no side effects and will
be excreted from the body in the urine. Greater than 90%
of the radioactivity injected has either left the body or
has decomposed prior to the completion of the study.
Therefore, patients pose very little risk of exposing
family members to unwanted radiation.
- PET/CT scanning involves an IV injection of a small
amount of a radioactive tracer called FDG. It is this
radioactive glucose molecule that allows us to detect
cancer cells at a very early stage in their development.
Cells utilize glucose to live. Some cells metabolize
glucose faster than others. Cancer cells are hyperactive
cells, which rapidly metabolize large amounts of glucose.
On a PET scan, cancer cells appear “hot” and significantly
more prominent. This is due to an increase in uptake of
radioactive glucose (FDG).
- Patient Benefits
- Earlier diagnosis, accurate staging and localization so that the most appropriate treatment plan can be implemented quickly.
- Reduction in examination time.
- Elimination of duplicate procedures and tests.
- Potential reduction in invasive procedures such as biopsies and unnecessary surgeries.
- Earlier detection of cancer recurrence.
- Discovery of tumors that may otherwise be obscured by scarring from treatment.
- Greater peace-of-mind knowing that the test provides comprehensive information.
- The superior quality of the images gives physicians more confidence in their ability to monitor patient outcomes without performing additional costly procedures or invasive treatments. The scan can differentiate between malignant and benign lesions.
- During therapy, the scan can evaluate a patient’s progress. In some cases, the PET/CT has found cancer that would not have been detected through another imaging examination. For physicians, the combined image provides more data in less time and can lead to faster, more accurate diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring.
- When the examination is complete, you are welcome to leave. You will be able to eat and drink immediately.
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