What does a PET scan show besides cancer

1. What does a PET scan show besides cancer? The full form of PET scan is Positron Emission Tomography. It makes use of radiation to display activity in the body on the level of cellular. PET scan is commonly used in cardiology, neurology and cancer treatment. It is combined along with MRI or CT scan. The best feature of PET scan is it develop colored and multidimensional images of the inner functions of human body. PET scan not only shows the appearance of organ but also display the functioning of organs. It is used in diagnosing certain health conditions, to find out the effectiveness of the treatment, plan treatment, and further procedure and find out the existing condition. Important facts about PET scan Here we have listed some interesting facts you should know about the PET scan. PET scan is mostly used to find out the medical condition and to track the developing status of the medical condition. It is mostly in tracking a particular medical condition or diagnose the condition.

2. PET scan brain is suggested along with MRI and CT scan. It helps in showing the functioning of the body part. It is commonly used to diagnose cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and heart disease. It is not a painful scan. The patients are advised not to intake food four to six hours prior to the scan. Moreover, they are suggested to drink sufficient water. How does it work? PET scan shows the function and physical state of organs. During the PET scan, the machine discovers radiation which is produced by a radiotracer. The radiotracer has radioactive material which is marked to natural chemical like glucose. The radiotracer will be injected into the patient’s body and it travels to the body cells that utilize glucose for energy. When more energy is absorbed by the group of cells, the radiotracer will build up more in that specific location. It will be seen on the computer in clear image form.

3. The activity or cells show as images which are recreated by the computer will display as cold spots or hot spots. The active areas will show up bright on the PET scan. It is referred to as hot spots. When the cells need less energy, it will display in less bright colors. Such areas are referred to as cold spots. Cancer cells remain active, especially when using glucose than the normal cells of the body. The radiotracer that emits more glucose will show up bright on the cancerous areas. The radiologist will diagnose the images created on the computer. Later, the report will be transferred to the doctor. FDG or Fluorodeoxyglucose is one of the examples of glucose based radiotracer. In Fluorodeoxyglucose, glucose and radioactive fluoride molecules are tagged to produce a radiotracer. It is the most commonly used radiotracer in recent years. Oxygen can also be used instead of glucose. Uses PET scans play an important part in diagnosing process of epilepsy and cancer. It helps in informing the patient’s present and next stage.

4. PET scans are commonly used with MRI or CT scans to collect more information about the patient’s health condition, make a diagnosis and to evaluate the treatment’s progress. The CT and MRI scans show how a particular area of the body appears. But the PET scan shows the functioning of the particular area or complete body. PET scans are popularly used to examine numerous medical conditions Epilepsy: PET scan can find the exact part of the brain that is affected by epilepsy. It can help the physicians to take a decision regarding suitable treatment. It also remains useful when there is a need for surgery. Cancer:PET Scan Oncology tells the stage and presence of cancer. It would also show the areas that have been spread. It helps the doctors to decide on what treatment procedure to start. It can give a clear idea and information about the working of chemotherapy treatment. It can find out a recurring tumor earlier than any other techniques. Alzheimer’s disease:It helps to find out Alzheimer’s disease by calculating the sugar uptake in specific areas of the brain. The brain cells that have been affected due to Alzheimer’s be likely to absorb glucose slower than the normal cells. Heart disease: With the help of a PET scan, it is possible to find out which area of the heart has been scarred or damaged. It also helps to find out circulation issues

5. in the functioning of the heart. These details will help in planning further treatment procedure for heart disease. Medical research: PET scans are vastly used by the researchers to gain some important information. It is mainly used to learn about the functioning of the brain. Risks due to PET scan There is a chance of radiation exposure. For the majority of people, the benefits of PET scan is more than the risks. As it involves radioactive material, a PET scan is not prescribed for everyone. It is not recommended for a pregnant woman since there are chances for the radioactive material to affect the infant or the fetus. In the same way, breastfeeding woman should follow certain guidelines when performing the PET scan. She has to pump and discard the breast milk before performing the test. Moreover, she needs to get suggestions from her doctor about resuming breastfeeding prior to the scan. If the patient is breastfeeding or pregnant, she has to clarify the status with her physician. After the PET scan, the patient should not stay or remain close to pregnant women, young children and infants for few hours since the radioactivity has certain risks. In rare cases, the patient may experience allergic reactions due to the tracer. Contradictions and Risks of PET scan

6. PET scan is a painless screening procedure. It poses very few risks. It has a scanner that does not produce radiation directly. The quantity of radiotracer applied for imaging is minute. The injection may cause localized swelling and pain. There are rare cases of allergic reactions. If you are feeling nervous when placed in the tube-like devices, you have to inform your doctor in advance. Anderson Diagnostics Chennai is a leading PET scan centre. They have a team of experienced microbiologists, biochemists, pathologists, and radiologists to perform high- end diagnostic services.