PET scan

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine, functional imaging technique that is used to observe metabolic processes in the body as an aid to the diagnosis of disease. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on a biologically active molecule.

Procedure

A PET scan uses a small amount of a radioactive drug, or tracer, to show differences between healthy and diseased tissue. The tracer is injected into a vein in your arm. Your body needs time to absorb the tracer, so you wait about an hour before the scan begins.

Uses

PET scans are often used to diagnose a condition or to track how it is developing. Used alongside a CT or MRI scan, it can show how a part of the body is working.

Risks

The risks of the test are also minimal in comparison to how beneficial the results can be in diagnosing serious medical conditions. The amount of radiation in the tracer is small. This means the risk of radiation exposure is also small.

See also

• Nuclear medicine
• Gamma ray
• Positron
• Radiation exposure

References

PET scan Resources
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