What does a PET scan allow researchers to see?

What does a PET scan allow researchers to see?

PET scans can detect cancers, as well as organs that are not working normally (such as areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease or areas of the heart that have been damaged by blocked blood vessels).

What does a PET scan measure?

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans detect early signs of cancer, heart disease and brain disorders. An injectable radioactive tracer detects diseased cells. A combination PET-CT scan produces 3D images for a more accurate diagnosis.

How reliable are PET scan results?

The PET scan accurately determined the outcome of 90% patients, while the combination of all the conventional images accurately determined the outcome of only 75% of patients.

Is a PET scan more accurate than an MRI?

One thing to note is that traditional PET scan images are less detailed than the images created by MRIs or CT scans. Because of this, there is a hybrid PET-CT scan available that combines the two techniques and creates a very detailed, accurate image. The PET-CT scan is often used to help diagnose cancer.

Is a PET scan useful for detecting structures of function?

In general, PET scans may be used to evaluate organs and/or tissues for the presence of disease or other conditions. PET may also be used to evaluate the function of organs, such as the heart or brain. The most common use of PET is in the detection of cancer and the evaluation of cancer treatment.

What does metabolic activity mean on a PET scan?

Metabolic activity, as defined by the uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) on positron emission tomography (PET), takes advantage of the physiologic preferential use of anaerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation used by malignant cells for their energetic needs.

Can PET scans give false positives?

While there are numerous etiologic causes for infection, tuberculosis and the fungal infections (Cryptococcosis, Histoplasmosis, Coccidioidomycosis, Blastomycosis, and Aspergillosis) are most commonly described as source of false positive results with PET/CT examinations (Bunyaviroch and Coleman, 2005).

What is a PET scan used to diagnose?

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a type of nuclear medicine procedure that measures metabolic activity of the cells of body tissues. PET is actually a combination of nuclear medicine and biochemical analysis. Used mostly in patients with brain or heart conditions and cancer,…

What is a positron emission tomography scan (PET)?

Definition. 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.

What is the difference between a PET scan and gallium scan?

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows your doctor to check for diseases in your body. Gallium scans are similar to PET scans in that they involve the injection of gallium citrate, a radioactive tracer.

Is it possible to get a PET scan everywhere?

It is not currently available everywhere. A PET scan measures important body functions, such as metabolism. It helps doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning. CT imaging uses special x-ray equipment, and in some cases a contrast material, to produce multiple images of the inside of the body.