PET/CT
A PET-CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan to give detailed information to more accurately diagnose and locate cancers while increasing patient comfort. The combined functions provide images that pinpoint the location of abnormal metabolic activity within the body, like malignant tumor cells. Combining the scans has been shown to provide more accurate diagnoses than the two scans performed separately.
Physicians utilize PET/CT scans for diagnosing, staging, and evaluating treatments for their cancer patients. PET imaging provides the physician with information that can characterize a questionable abnormality as malignant or benign. CT provides detailed information about the location, size, and shape of various lesions. In one continuous whole-body scan, PET/CT captures images of changes in the body's metabolism which are caused by actively growing cancer cells. PET/CT provides a detailed picture of the body's internal structures and reveals the size, shape, and exact location of any abnormal and cancerous growths.
PET has been used for neurological imaging for many decades. It has grown in clinical importance, beyond its use in research, particularly due to patients with suspected dementia. Physicians can utilize PET imaging to visualize evidence of amyloid plaques when evaluating for Alzheimer's disease. PET/CT imaging can show precise areas of increased or decreased radiotracer uptake in the brain and doctors use this information to diagnose brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Epilepsy.
PET/CT imaging of the heart allows the study and quantification of various aspects of heart tissue function. Dramatic advances in PET/CT scanners and specialized software have helped develop an important role for PET/CT imaging in cardiology for diagnosing patients, describing the disease, and developing a treatment strategy. PET/CT imaging provides a way to assess the severity of heart disease and measure its impact on heart function. Clinical studies show an important role for PET/CT in screening for coronary heart disease, assessing flow rates and flow reserves, and distinguishing viable from nonviable heart tissue. How It Works
For the PET portion of either study, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into the body. The type of radioactive material depends on the exam. Once the injection is completed, the patient will wait about 60 minutes in a quiet area with limited movement while the body absorbs the material. More of the radiotracer material will accumulate in the cells with higher chemical activity, which generally corresponds to the areas of disease.
For the CT portion X-rays are taken from multiple angles as a patient is moved through the opening of the machine. An X-ray tube and high-resolution digital detector rotate very fast inside the machine’s opening to obtain pictures from all different angles and produce detailed images. The rotation of these parts is internal and cannot be detected by the patient. The images produced from a CT scan are significantly more detailed than a traditional X-ray.
Why Choose Zwanger-Pesiri?
Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology brings world-class expertise to the Long Island community. Our subspecialty-trained radiologists are Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology with fellowship training in a variety of specialties. They are highly-skilled, highly-knowledgeable, and make patient care a priority. To learn more, contact us today.