What is PET?

PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. PET provides information about how your body is functioning. Mist CT and MRI scans only provide anatomical or structural information about your body. PET can provide information about metabolism or blood flow. Patients who have PET scans are injected with a radioactive drug that is distributed through the body. For most studies this is a radioactive sugar called FDG. The distribution of the drug is based on metabolism and/or blood flow. A PET scanner detects the location of the drug and creates an image that is interpreted by a radiologist.

Cancer: PET imaging can be used to detect and stage Cancer. PET can help your physician decide about the best treatment and also assess your response to therapy.

Heart Disease: If you have coronary artery disease, PET is also very accurate in predicting the benefit you would receive from coronary artery bypass surgery and/or angioplasty.

Neurological Disease: PET can help identify the location in the brain responsible for intractable seizures and assist in determining if surgery would be beneficial. At an early stage PET can also identify and characterize degenerative diseases of the brain-such as Alzheimer's disease.

(Note: the amount of radiation exposure a patient receives is approximately equal to two chest x-rays. PET tracers are short-lived isotopes that leave the body rapidly. There are no documented cases of allergic reactions to the tracers.)

The Benefits of PET

PET has several advantages over routine diagnostic imaging examinations.

• PET has been proven to reduce costs of the diagnosis and treatment of certain cancers.

• PET reduces the number of unnecessary biopsies and other invasive surgical procedures.

• PET can aid in determining the most effective method of cancer treatment.

• PET can determine if surgery for coronary artery disease will improve cardiac function..

What should you expect during an exam?

PET scans require the injection of a radioactive drug into a vein in your arm. After the injection, you will be asked to sit quietly for a one-hour waiting period. Patients usually wear their own clothing during the PET scan, but sometimes are asked to wear a hospital gown. During the scan you will be asked to lie very still, on your back, with your arms above your head. Scans take 30 minutes to one hour.

• No sedation is provided for PET scans.

• If you need pain relief, be sure to bring your pain medication with you.