Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
This is a scan to understand if your organs and tissue are working properly. By doing this you will get an accurate picture. This scanning is done using a radioactive drug. To do this, the drug is injected, swallowed, or inhaled. Depending on which part of your body is imaged will determine how the drug gets into your body. When this drug reaches your body, it will give you an accurate picture of your organs and especially the part that is affected by the disease.
Why do this?
A pet scan is the best way to understand how chemicals are working in our body. These scans are useful for diagnosing brain problems, heart problems, and even cancer. A PET scan is different from a CT scan or an MRI scan. By performing this scan, the doctor can get a clear picture of the extent of the patient’s disease. By doing this, the doctors can get a detailed picture of the patient’s organs and also get an idea of how well they are functioning. Apart from cancer, PET scan is also used for some other diseases.
It also helps in understanding the conditions of Alzheimer’s, brain tumor, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, stress, vertigo and dystonia. Also, where is the cancer affected and has it spread to other parts? It helps to understand how much it has grown and what treatment should be done. It helps in understanding breast cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, cervical cancer, rectal cancer, neck, thyroid, prostate and pancreatic cancer.
Similarly, it helps to understand heart diseases, especially blood flow to the heart arteries, overall blood flow, heart block, and any heart valve problems that may progress if treated.
Let’s see what are its side effects.
Some people are more likely to develop an allergy problem by doing this. Also, your unborn child is more likely to be exposed to radiation if pregnant. Likewise, if you are a breastfeeding mother, your child is more likely to receive radiation.
Because of these issues, it’s important that you open up with your doctor if you have any allergy issues before you do this. Likewise, if you are pregnant, have a fear of enclosed spaces, or are breastfeeding, it is imperative that you provide accurate information to your doctor.
Let’s see what the prosecution is
A PET scan machine is similar to a CT scan machine. This scan takes about 2 hours. This scan does not require a hospital stay or anything else. All the steps of this will be done by Radiology Department. As part of this, the patient is given a radioactive drug or tracer. After that you will be asked to wait for 60 minutes. 60 minutes is given for the drug to reach the body well. You will then be told to lie down and be pushed into the scanner. The patient will be asked to lie still during the scan. This is because the image is clear. During the scan, you can hear the noise from the machine, but none of this affects the patient. This scanning is painless. It is important to tell the nurse or technician if the patient feels scared or uncomfortable while doing this. They will give the patient a sedative. Some patients will be asked to have a CT scan as well as a PET scan. The image obtained through this scanning is then sent to the lab. After this scanning the patient will be asked to drink plenty of water.
Understand the result
After this scanning, when the result is obtained, it is said that the chemical reaction is going well in the well-defined area. The radiologist will analyze it thoroughly and give an accurate report to your doctor.