Preparation for Patients Undergoing PET Scans

Call 866.722.6777 or 317.274.2321 if you have any questions concerning the following instructions.

General Instructions

All PET/CT Studies:

No food for 6 hours before your appointment. You may drink water.

What to Wear: Dress in comfortable clothing like a sweat suit – Avoid wearing clothes with zippers, snaps, or any other metal if possible.

Diabetics: Nothing to eat or drink except water 6 hours prior to test. Do not take insulin or oral diabetic medication after midnight the day of your exam. NO snacks are allowed.

 Please check your blood sugar level at home, prior to leaving for your appointment, to ensure that your sugar level is at or below 200mg/dl. If it is not, please contact the PET Center (317-274-3413) for further instructions. (Note: you may have water and take other medications as usual)

All other patients: NO food and drink after midnight on the day your appointment. 12 hours without eating or drinking is preferred. NO snacks are allowed (Note: you may have water and take medications as usual)

Procedure Description for Whole Body Scans:

A Whole Body PET Scan usually lasts 2 hours and consists of:

• an injection of the imaging tracer
• a 45 minute wait (uptake time)
• then 30 minutes of imaging (lying on an imaging table, very similar to that of a CT scanner)

Procedure Description for Brain patients:

A Brain PET Scan usually lasts 1 ½ hours and consists of:

• an injection of the imaging tracer
• a 45 minute wait in a quiet room
• then 15-20 minutes of imaging (lying on an imaging table, very similar to that of a CT scanner)

Procedure Description for Cardiac Viability Patients:

A Cardiac PET Scan usually lasts 2 - 3 hours and consists of:

• measuring your blood sugar level
• you may be given insulin or a sugary drink or IV glucose to regulate your blood sugar
• an injection of the imaging tracer to look at blood flow in your heart
• an injection of the imaging tracer to look at glucose metabolism in your heart
• lying still on an imaging table very similar to that of a CT scanner

Parking

Free Parking is available in 2 garages near Research II. Bring in your garage ticket to be validated if you have parked in the Wishard Hospital or University Hospital garages.

Registration & Check-in

Please arrive at the Research II Building and report to the Imaging Center Check-in desk (E124). All patients must be checked-in prior to having tests performed. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time in order to register or to verify registration or payment information.

Previous X-Rays

Previous X-Rays are often helpful for diagnosis. Please bring any recent CT or MRI films with you that are available from your Physician or Hospital.