Positron emission tomography (PET) combines nuclear medicines with biochemical analysis. PET aids in visualizing the biochemical changes occurring in the body, such as the metabolism of the heart muscle, and is typically used for patients with cancer, heart issues, or brain conditions. A small amount of a radioactive tracer is used in the PET Scan, a non-invasive imaging technology, to acquire images of the body’s interior.
Definition of PET Scan
The PET scan is one of the imaging tests employed to generate pictures of various tissues and organs in action. The test includes the use of a radioactive chemical, which is safe and injectable, known as a radiotracer, and a tool referred to as a PET scanner. This scanner is utilized to detect diseased cells, which absorb a large number of radiotracers, indicating a serious health issue.
Purpose of PET Scan
PET Scan is a pathbreaking find that deduces answers for many medical conditions. Below are the applications of PET scans.
- PET Scan is commonly used to detect cancer cells in the body. It can detect cancer cells in different body parts, including the brain, lungs, liver, and bones. It can also detect the spread of cancer cells in different parts of the body.
- PET Scan is further used to monitor cancer treatment. It helps doctors evaluate the effectiveness of cancer treatment and identify any changes in the size or location of cancer cells.
- This scan is also beneficial in studying blood flow and metabolism in the organs and tissues. The scan can be used to identify and notice any possible abnormalities in the blood flow and metabolism, which may indicate a medical condition.
- PET scan is also used to evaluate brain function. A PET scan can help identify any abnormalities in the brain function.
How Does PET Scan Work?
The nuclear medication contains radiotracers, which are tiny, safe doses of radioactive material administered intravenously. PET scans concentrate on molecular activity and processes occurring inside your body, as opposed to other imaging modalities. They can help detect diseases at their very beginning, making the treatment simple.
The radiotracer is absorbed more readily by the sick cells in a body than by the healthy ones. ‘Hot places’ are what the areas where these tracers accumulate are called. These radiotracers are recognized by the PET scanner, which then provides images of the harmed tissues. A PET/CT scan can provide combined X-ray images acquired with a PET scan and CT scan.
Preparation Before the PET Scan
Before undergoing a PET scan, it is essential to inform your healthcare provider of any pertinent medical history. It can be a recent illness, diabetes, or an illness that may have caused adverse responses in the past, as well as any prescription drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements you may be using. Do not neglect to tell your healthcare professional if you are nursing or pregnant. Inform your healthcare professional if you experience claustrophobia, an unreasonable fear of small spaces.
You will get complete instructions from the healthcare practitioner to prepare for the scan. Usually, it is advised not to perform vigorous exercises a few days before the scan and to fast for 4 hours before the procedure.
Upon arrival for the scan, you can be expected to empty your bladder and wear a hospital gown. A healthcare professional then will inject the radiotracer into one of the veins in your hand or arm. You may feel a cold sensation that moves up your arm for a short time. You then are told to rest and sit still in a chair for 30 to 60 minutes while the radiotracer is absorbed by your body.
PET Scan: Procedure
When it’s time, a caregiver asks you to lie down comfortably on a narrow table that goes inside the area of the scanner that is shaped like a doughnut. To prevent blurry images throughout the scan, you have to remain very still. A PET-CT scan takes about 30 minutes to complete; however, a PET-MRI scan may require up to 45 minutes. Clicking and buzzing noises are produced by the machine.
The test is not painful. You can feel slightly uneasy inside the scanner if you have a fear of small areas. Any anxiety that is bothering you should be mentioned to the nurse or technologist. To further relax you, you might be administered certain medicines.
After the PET Scan
After PET scans, patients can resume their normal activities. They may be advised to drink a lot of water to help remove the radioactive tracer from their body.
Benefits of PET Scan
A PET scan is an innovative blessing of technology that aids in diagnosing many fatal diseases. It has many other benefits; to learn them, read on.
Accurate diagnosis: Even before symptoms develop, a PET scan test can identify diseases and disorders at an early stage. The effectiveness of treatment and the likelihood of recovery can both be improved by early identification.
Personalized care: Based on the kind and location of the patient’s ailment, PET scans can assist medical professionals in deciding the appropriate course of action. Better results and fewer adverse effects may result from this individualized treatment strategy.
Assessing the efficacy of treatment: PET scans can be used to track the course of treatment and ascertain its efficacy. This can assist doctors in modifying the treatment strategy as required to maximize the patient’s response.
Reduction in the need for invasive operations: Without the need for surgery, PET scans can frequently offer the same diagnostic data as invasive procedures like biopsies. This can result in a speedy recovery period and decrease the chance of complications.
Research: To learn more about the underlying causes of diseases and to create new treatments, PET scans are widely employed in the medical field. For various illnesses, this research may result in increased comprehension and better treatments.
Risks of PET Scan
Typically, PET scans are risk-free and infrequently problematic. The radioactive tracer contains a very small amount of radiation. It doesn’t linger in your system for very long. To help your body rid itself of the radioactive medication following a PET scan, you should drink lots of water.
PET scans are typically only dangerous in the following circumstances:
- PET scans shouldn’t be administered to anyone pregnant or nursing. The radiation could injure a pregnancy and transfer through breast milk to harm a newborn.
- The radioactive tracers of PET scans and the contrast dyes of CT scans might cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Such an allergic response is uncommon and typically not severe. If this reaction occurs, your medical team can give you medicine to slow down the process or halt it.
- The radiotracer’s sugar may not be absorbed by diabetics, which can alter the scan’s outcomes. Before the test, your healthcare practitioner will make recommendations for how to change your food and medications.
Comparison of PET Scans to Other Medical Imaging Techniques for Detecting Cellular Changes in the Body
A PET scan is more advantageous than CT and MRI scans as it can detect metabolic changes occurring at any cellular level. On the other hand, CT and MRI scans can only detect changes once the disease has altered the structure of the organs or tissues. This means that PET scans can detect diseases at an early stage, even before symptoms appear, allowing for earlier treatment and a better chance of recovery.
This cell-level detection is particularly important for complex systemic diseases like coronary artery disease, brain tumors, memory disorders, and seizure disorders. PET scans can help diagnose these conditions by showing metabolic changes in the affected tissues, which can guide treatment decisions and monitor treatment effectiveness.
A more thorough picture of the disease can be provided by combining PET scans with CT and MRI studies. By combining the images from the two scans, medical professionals can learn more about the anatomy and physiology of the damaged organs or tissues, which enables them to make a more accurate diagnosis.
Similar to PET scans, gallium scans are another form of medical imaging examination. They are used to find some specific kinds of cancer and entail injecting a radioactive tracer. They are not as frequently utilized for cancer detection as PET scans, because they are normally carried out 1 to 3 days following the administration of the tracer. Gallium scans can be used in conjunction with PET scans in some cases to diagnose cancer accurately.
Conclusion
PET scans are highly advanced medical imaging tests that can help detect metabolic changes occurring at the cellular level in organs and tissues. This unique capability makes them an invaluable tool for detecting diseases at an early stage, even before symptoms appear. PET scans are particularly crucial for complex systemic diseases such as coronary artery disease, brain tumors, memory disorders, and seizure disorders. This kind of scan is extremely important in modern medicine and has greatly enhanced the diagnosis and management of many disorders.
