Medical Issues

Popular: Spinal Cord | Pet Scan

Help build this topic

Pet Scan

Positron emission tomography

photo by liz west

PET scan stands for Positron emission tomography scan. It is a technique under nuclear medicine imaging that is used to held doctors have a full look at the inside of a body. PET scans are often used along with CT and MRI scans to help give the full picture before a diagnosis can be made.

PET scans show up body tissues and show the doctors how they are working and what they look like, including blood flow, sugar metabolism and oxygen levels.

Positron emission tomography: The PET scan explained

by Bill Fitzgerald

Positron emission tomography is an imaging test that uses a small amount of radioactive material (radiotracer) to show how your tissues and organs are functioning. The radiotracer can be injected, taken orally, or inhaled; the method of delivery and... More>

How brain scans work

by Barbara Kasey Smith

How brain scans work... *Have you ever had a brain scan? Have you ever had a brain scan? Did they ever explain how the brain scan they were using worked? Doctors order brain scans all the time but "no-one" ever explains to the patient how they ... More>

Neuroscience and mental health research

by Sarah Parrish

Neuroscience is a young science, being an amalgamation of psychology and biology, ranging from macroscopic biology and basic anatomy to molecular biology and the formation of synapses. As neuroscienti...More>
3 articles Write Now Write

What is the most precise diagnostic test for Alzheimer's

by Leonard Konis

2009 Alzheimer's disease Facts and Figures, reported seventh leading cause of death is Alzheimer's. (1) In 2006, estimated 26 million people worldwide diagnosed with Alzheimer's and 100 m...More>
1 articles Write Now Write

How my doctor can tell if I have nasopharyngeal cancer

by Vonda J. Sines

Nasopharyngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells grow in the nasopharynx. This is the upper part of the pharynx - also known as the throat - behind the nose. The pharynx is a tube around five inches long that stretches from the nose to th... More>

How do doctors diagnose epilepsy?

by Vonda J. Sines

Epilepsy is a condition that occurs when the nervous system misfires. Electrical signals generated within your brain cause seizures. According to the Mayo Clinic , there are two types of partial and four kinds of generalized seizures associated with... More>

PET scan information

PET scan was first introduced in 1975 when it was used mainly for research. They weren't used for diagnostics until the 1990's.
There are very few PET scanners around the world. Currently there are just over 600, with the majority of them being in the US.
PET scans are expensive, and some insurance companies do not cover this cost so it is important to check your cover before agreeing to having a PET scan performed.

Flag Inappropriate Content

PET scan facts

PET stands for positron emission tomography
PET scans are used to diagnose cancer, brain disorders and heart problems
PET scans involve an injection of a radiotracer
The whole process of a PET scan can take up to 2 hours

PET scan links

No Recent News Available

Diagnostic Imaging- What is a PET scan? Positron Emission Tomography (Watch in HD)

Greg Jones MD, of the Valdese Cancer Center in North Carolina explains the use of PET scans for cancer treatment planning. This is one section of a larger patient educational video series covering general radiation therapy, prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, MRI scans, CT scans, pain medication, and hospice care. For further information contact westernpiedmontoncology@gmail.com

Was this Topic helpful?