What do I do before a PET/CT scan?

Question

How long do I fast for and what am I not allowed to eat the day before the scan? What do I have to do?

Answer 1

The center should have told you. What they asked me to do was to not do exercises for two days before, to avoid sugar for 24 hours before because it can interfere with the text. They also told me to fast 12 hours before the test, but then I found out I could have had water.

Answer 2

The best advice I can give you is to call the facility where you are scheduled to get their protocol and preparation. There might be some unique instructions for your exam and your circumstances. The following is pretty accurate in my experience:

"Instructions

***Comfort - PET scans are completely painless, with no side effects.
***Clothing - Dress comfortably and warmly, as some scanner rooms may be cool.
***Food and Drink - Please call the PET Center for specific instructions.
Generally, you should limit the amount of sugar and caffeine on the day before the scan and should not consume anything except water for approximately 6 hours prior to the scan.
***Medications - You may take your regularly scheduled medications prior to arriving for your scan, if they can be tolerated on an empty stomach.
***Diabetic - Please speak with the PET center nurse or doctor for specific instructions regarding insulin. Generally, you should test your blood sugar level before the scan; it should be approximately 100-200 mg/dL.
***Procedure - Upon arriving at the PET center, you will receive an injection of radioactive glucose (FDG), which will take approximately 45 minutes to distribute throughout your body. You will be asked to empty your bladder and then lie down on the scanner bed. The scan takes approximately 15-60 minutes, depending upon the type of scan you are having and the type of scanner being used. It is important that you lie still during this process. If you need pain medication please bring it with you. You should plan on being at the PET center for approximately 2 hours.
***After your scan - Once the PET scan is complete, you will be able to leave the PET center. Make sure you drink plenty of water or other fluids throughout the day to flush the FDG from your body.
***Your PET scan results - The PET scan is interpreted by a trained nuclear medicine physician or radiologist, and results are usually sent to the referring physician within 24-48 hours. You should contact your doctor to discuss the results."

http://www.petscaninfo.com/zportal/portals/pat/my_pet_scan/for_patients

Answer 3

Call the hospital where the scan will be and ask for Radiology. They will tell you exactly what to do. We can't really answer your question as we do not know what part of the body you are having scanned. So call the Radiology Department at the hospital.

Answer 4

It is generally four hours fasting before a CT scan and 6 hours before a PET scan.

If you want more information on both...the Cancerbackup (a UK cancer information charity) website has info on both:

CT scans - http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Lung/Causesdiagnosis/Diagnosis
PET scans - http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/QAs/AboutcancerQAs/TestsinvestigationsQAs/PETscan/related_faqs/QAs/701

their information is fantastic. And you can email one of their nurses directly

Answer 5

Usually you will fast for four hours.If you are diabetic,the technologist will give you different instructions to keep your blood sugar down.

Answer 6

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