WHAT IS PET?

PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. PET is an imaging test that provides your physician with unique information about your body.

PET allows the doctor to see how the organ actually functions, rather than simply how it looks. Metobolic and functional abnormalities usually occur long before structural damages are evident, for example, on x-ray or CT,making possible early detection of certain diseases. Early detection is crucial for survival in life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

PET scan will begin with an injection of radioactive tracer into a vein in the patient's arm. The patient will be asked to rest quietly for 60 minutes while the tracer circulates throughout the patient's body. Next, the part of the body being imaged will be positioned within a large ring on a scanning bed. The imaging time varies depending on which part of your body is being evaluated, but it generally takes about 35 minutes.