Diagnostic Services
About PET ScanPET Scan
A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows your doctor to check for diseases in your body. The scan uses a special dye containing radioactive tracers. These tracers are either swallowed, inhaled, or injected into a vein in your arm depending on what part of the body is being examined.
When detected by a PET scanner, the tracers help your doctor to see how well your organs and tissues are working. The tracer will collect in areas of higher chemical activity, which is helpful because certain tissues of the body, and certain diseases, have a higher level of chemical activity. These areas of disease will show up as bright spots on the PET scan.
The tracer will collect in areas of higher chemical activity, which is helpful because certain tissues of the body, and certain diseases, have a higher level of chemical activity. These areas of disease will show up as bright spots on the PET scan.
The PET scan can measure blood flow, oxygen use, how your body uses sugar, and much more. A PET scan is typically an outpatient procedure. This means you can go about your day after the test is finished.
PET scans reveal areas of decreased blood flow in the heart. This is because healthy heart tissue will take in more of the tracer than unhealthy tissue or tissue that has decreased blood flow.
Glucose is the main fuel of the brain. During PET scans, tracers are “attached” to compounds such as glucose. By detecting radioactive glucose, the PET scan is able to detect which areas of the brain are utilizing glucose at the highest rates. PET scans are used to help diagnose and manage many central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Depression
- Epilepsy
- Head trauma
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