Medical Imaging Techniques: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a type of nuclear medicine imaging technique. Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of heart disease, cancers and other irregularities within the human body.

These imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers. Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam you are undergoing, the radiotracer is either injected into a vein, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. This energy is detected by a device called a gamma camera, a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner and/or a probe. This medical machinery works together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures offering details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues.

Manufacturers are now making single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) units that are able to perform both imaging studies at the same time.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan measures important body functions, such as: blood flow, oxygen use, and sugar (glucose) metabolism, to help doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning.

Currently, many PET scans are performed on instruments that are combined PET and CT scanners. The combined PET/CT scans provide images that identify the location of atypical metabolic activity within the body. The combined scans have been shown to provide more accurate diagnoses than the two types of scans performed separately.

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