PET Scanner
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner gives doctors at Providence Medical Center a new way of looking inside the human body. The PET images can effectively pinpoint the source of many of the most common cancers and may help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. This may eliminate the need for redundant tests and diagnostic surgical procedures.
PET offers physicians a comprehensive assessment for both the initial staging of newly diagnosed cancers, such as lymphoma or lung cancer as well as treatment effectiveness.
PET images are different than those from more conventional imaging equipment, such as X-Ray, CAT scanners, ultrasound or MRI. The three-dimensional PET images allow rapidly growing tumors to be visualized. They also contain information about tissue function. The PET images are created through the combined use of a cyclotron produced (radioactive material), a whole-body scanner and a computer.
What to ExpectA PET scan can be performed in about two hours as an outpatient procedure. Usual preparation for the test involves the patient fasting for six hours prior to the scan.
You'll get an injection of a radioactive tracer. As the radioactive compound is distributed throughout the body the PET scanner detects the radioactivity and shows it as an image on a video screen.
A computer reassembles the signals into actual images — the first pictures ever to show biological causes of normal organ function and failure of organ systems in disease.
This advanced mobile equipment is available every other Wednesday at Providence.
For more information about the PET scanner talk to your physician or call the Providence Radiology department at 913-596-4115.
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