Most health care providers agree that the PET scan is one of the most helpful tools in diagnosing cancer and many other types of diseases. PET scans are primarily used to diagnose tumors, various heart diseases, and infections and/or diseases involving the nervous system. PET scans use intense radiation technology to produce clear images of the area of the body in question, which will clearly show any abnormalities if they exist. Radiotracers are given to the patient, which basically high light the desired part of the body in the images. Different parts of the body, such as tissue and nerves will appear in different bright colors. A tumor, or any sort of abnormalities will also appear in a color that greatly contrasts the rest of the organ or area of the body. When a CT scan is combined with the PET scan, it results in much clearer images, that greatly benefit the health care provider in finding a tumor or other diseases.

PET Scan Applications

PET scans are used in three major areas of medicine. They are oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Oncology involves the study of tumors. Oncology deals with how tumors form, develop, grow, and metastasize, as well as how to treat and possibly prevent them from occurring in the first place. Cardiology studies how the heart functions, how it is put together, and diseases and/or infections that can occur within it. Neurology deals with how the nervous system works, infections, and diseases that occur within it, and how to treat and possibly prevent them. The PET scan is able to show images of inside the body, which will clearly show if any tumors exist, as well as abnormalities in the heart and/or nervous system.

Disadvantages of PET Scans

There are very limited disadvantages of PET scans. When compared to the advantages, the risks can be well worth it, as the PET scan can help in saving lives from tumors and other infections or diseases. The cyclotron is an important machine used in PET scans. This machine exposes the patient to radiation. Radiation, in high doses can be very harmful to humans. The radiation that the patient is exposed to during a PET scan is about the same as two X-ray exams. This is a very small amount of radiation. However, patients who are exposed to lots of radiation from their job or anywhere else, can face a greater risk when undergoing a PET scan. Even though it is a small amount of radiation, it does mean that patients who get a PET scan can only have this scan done a certain amount of times, to limit the amount of radiation that they are exposed to.

Another major disadvantage of PET scans are the cost. A PET scan will cost, on average, about eleven hundred dollars. While some health insurance polices do cover PET scans, many do not because of the cost as well as the availability of the PET scan machines. The machines that are needed to perform a PET scan are extremely expensive and, as a result, many hospitals do not have them. The matter of cost, and how many health insurance policies do not cover PET scans, as well as those who do not have any health insurance, make this a serious problem for people who would greatly benefit from a PET scan.

Combination With CT and MRI scans

The combination of PET scans with CT scans is a newer concept that has proven to be extremely helpful and productive. While the PET scan alone will show how the studied area of the body is functioning, adding the CT scan will result in much clearer images of the area of the body that is question. When combined, the CT scan is performed first, followed by the CT scan. Combining these two scans has benefited both health care providers and patients so much, that many machines used to perform PET scans now come equipped with the tools necessary to conduct a CT scan. A PET/CT scan is slowly, but surely, becoming the norm.

The combination of the PET scan with the MRI scan is still being studied and tested on its effectiveness. These tow scans together create extremely powerful magnetic fields that most of the body can not handle. Tests done on the combination of the two, show that as of now, only the head and brain can withstand the magnet field created by the two scans. Further testing continues.

PET Scan Procedure

The PET scan procedure does not cause any pain or discomfort. The procedure, including preparation, should take about an hour and a half. The preparation, while not difficult, takes longer than the scan itself. Most patients having a PET scan done are outpatients, meaning they will be able to leave the hospital the same day as they came in. However, PET scans can be done on people who are staying in the hospital over night.

The patient will lay on the examination table and the health care provider will give them the radiotracer. The radiotracer is administered by either injection into the vein, in pill form, or inhaled in gas form. It takes about one hour for the radiotracer to be fully absorbed by the desired area of the body. Sometimes, the patient will be required to drink liquids that will make the images clearer. This is called contrast material. Once the radiotracer is administered, the patient can not move or talk. This is to make sure that the radiotracer is absorbed quickly and safely. Once the radiotracer is absorbed, the patient will be moved into the scanner. If both the CT and PET scans are being combined, it will take about a half hour for both scans to be conducted. The patient will not feel anything abnormal while the scans are being performed. Once the scans are completed, the patient must remain still, until the health care provider is sure that no additional images need to be taken.