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PET/CT

An integrated PET/CT scan is the most advanced imaging technology for the detection and evaluation of cancer. A PET/CT scan provides images of the entire body and generates high-resolution images of abnormal activity and its location. Abnormal activity often takes place before physical changes are identifiable by other types of imaging such as MRI, CT, x-ray and ultrasound. The scan detects primary and secondary disease earlier and more accurately than other imaging technology.

Our doctors use PET/CT images to:

  • identify disease, often before it shows up on other exams
  • determine whether or not the cancer has spread (the stage of the cancer)
  • see how the body has responded to chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery
  • eliminate ineffective or unnecessary surgical or medical treatments
  • detect recurrence of cancer early.
What to expect

Our PET/CT technologist will bring you back from the waiting room to a small private and comfortable room.  You will receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive sugar, also known as glucose, into your bloodstream. Then you relax for approximately an hour while the radioactive sugar circulates in your body. After the hour, our technologist will position you on the scanner. The PET/CT scan takes about 30 minutes. The radioactive sugar is short-lived and will leave your body quickly.

During the scan, you will be exposed to a minimal amount of radiation, however, we believe the benefits of the information provided by the scan outweigh the small potential risk. Please let us know if you have any concerns about this exposure.

Typically, you will get scan results in 48 hours.

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