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what can I expect? How does a PET scanner work? PET studies are offered at our Anchorage location

PET, short for positron emission tomography, is a powerful, sophisticated physiology-based imaging technique used for the detection of brain disorders, cardiac disease, early detection of cancer, staging and determination of the most beneficial therapies.

How does PET work?
PET provides information about the function of tissues and organs. PET images, when fused (matched) with CT or MR images, provide your doctor with physiologic information linked to an anatomical site.

PET can have cost-saving benefits by potentially eliminating the need for redundant diagnostic tests, by tracking the effectiveness of therapies, and by detecting diseases before structural damage is evident. This can also eliminate the need for more invasive procedures like biopsies or other surgeries.


Since PET provides information about the function of tissues and organs, the information we need is of a molecular nature. All cellular activity is governed by the use of nutrients which the cell can convert into energy. The most common form of nutrient for cellular function is glucose. Cells convert the glucose into energy, so they can perform cellular functions; and because we want to "see" this cellular function it is necessary to inject a very tiny amount of a radioactive glucose. As the glucose circulates throughout the body, the organs and tissues begin to use the glucose. The more active or rapidly dividing cells (such as those of a cancer) take up the radioisotope in large quantities while other less active cells don't use as much. As the radioisotope begins to decay, it emits a tiny burst of energy that is detected by the PET scanner.

 


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What can I expect during my PET scan?
PET is done in our outpatient imaging center, and you should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes such as sweat suits.

Your doctor will give you detailed instructions on how to prepare for your examination. The evening before your appointment you will receive a call from our office staff who will remind you of your appointment time and answer any questions.

The radiopharmaceutical that you will be given, via intravenous injection, is going to be made especially for you and flown to Anchorage on the day of your appointment. It is very important that you keep your appointment.

You will be asked to come to the imaging center one hour prior to your appointment and to have nothing to eat for four hours before your appointment. We will encourage you to drink plenty of water beforehand. Once here, you will be taken into one of our "quiet rooms" where you will lie down and relax while the technologist administers the radioactive glucose.

It will then take approximately 45-60 minutes for the substance to travel through your body and be absorbed by the tissues or organs we want to study. During this time, we will ask you to remain in the quiet room and relax. You will then be taken into the PET scan room to begin the imaging sequences.

We will make you as comfortable as we can on the scanner table, since you will be asked to remain still for the duration of the test.

Once the test is complete you may leave the center and resume your normal activities. The results will be interpreted by one of our board-certified, Nuclear Medicine radiologists and the results will be sent to your physician.

For compehensive information about PET scanning at Alaska Open Imaging Center, visit www.PETAlaska.com

Animated 3D PET-CT fusion

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Animated 3D PET scanmovie

 

 

 

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