what is a p.e.t.scan?

Question

my wife has to have one on her pelvis

can you let me have that in english

Answer 1

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image or map of functional processes in the body.

Answer 2

PET is short for Positron Emission Tomography.

The Positron Emission is what they call the radiation given off by a tracer they put in your body through an IV drip usually, or very rarely by gas.

After you have the IV that delivers the radioactive tracer, you must lie still for 45 minutes to an hour. During this time, the tracer is absorbed by the cells in the body (usually because it's tied on to something the cells normally use, like glucose).

You have to be quiet and not move so that you don't interfere with the absorption of this stuff.

Normal cells will absorp the tracer pretty evenly. When the scanning starts, it will aim to pick up any areas where the tracer is being absorbed at a higher level than expected.

Abnormal cell activity could be a sign of cancerous cells, which tend to be a lot more active than normal cells.

Usually, with PET scans, cancer is what's being scanned for. A PET scan can usually pick up cancers quicker than CT or MRI, as it's measuring cell metabolism.

It's also used following treatment with chemotherapy, to see how effective the chemotherapy has been.

A PET scan is usually done as an outpatient, and all you have to do to prepare is drink plenty of water, and avoid tea/coffee for 24 hours prior to the scan.

If possible, avoid smoking for 24 hours beforehand too.

Wear loose baggy clothing, and inform your doctor if you're taking insulin - this may need to be reduced for the day of the scan in case it messes with the glucose pick-up.

Otherwise it's a pretty painless procedure. The scanner can be a little claustrophobia-inducing, and it may be a nuisance to have to stay still for so long, but there's no pain involved (apart from the IV needle.)

Hope that's made it a little clearer.

Answer 3

Can't remember what it stands for, but its where they inject a sugar tracer into your bloodstream with a nuclear tag attached to it. You then have to sit there for about an hour really still and not talking. The tracer is then taken up by all your fast acting cells in your body, in most cases to test for remaining cancer cells after treatment. Because the fast acting cells have absorbed the sugar tracer, they will also have picked up the nuclear tag, which can be spotted with a CT or CAT scan. The x-ray pics will probably then show your heart as a darkened mass, and your bladder (because these things still pump away even if you are sat really still) and if you have a problem area then that will show up dark too.

I have no idea if this is used to test things other than cancer, so PLEASE don't be scared if your wife doesn't have cancer. I'm not a doctor, and this info just comes from experience. It is not a horrible procedure at all, but you wont be able to go near her for a few hours after in case she is radioactive.

Answer 4

Positron Emission Tomography