PET/CT SCAN

PET/CT SCAN

PET/CT is a new imaging tool that is highly advanced. PET/CT combines 2 different types of imaging into 1 procedure. PET and CT together produce a more accurate picture of what is happening in the body than either PET or CT alone. PET/CT is a very good tool for detecting cancer and how far it has spread.

PET scan

“PET” stands for positron emission tomography. PET creates an image (scan) of body’s biochemical activity. PET shows the rate of cellular metabolism at which body’s cells break down and use glucose. Cancer cells metabolize glucose at a higher rate than normal cells do. A PET scan shows this abnormal cell activity.
For PET scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into blood stream. This material is called a radioisotope. A PET scanner detects the radioisotope and then creates an image on the computer screen.

CT scan

As said before “CT” is short for computed tomography. CT uses x-rays and a computer to make an image of sections of body. A CT scan shows body’s organs, bones, and tissues in greater detail than regular x-rays do.

PET/CT scan

A PET image is color coded — different colors show various levels of cell activity. A CT scan shows the exact locations of the body’s organs and also can show abnormal growths. When a CT scan is laid over a PET scan, doctors can pinpoint the exact location of abnormal cell activity. They can also see the level and extent of that activity. Even when an abnormal growth is not yet visible on a CT scan, the PET scan can show the abnormal cell activity.