PET/CT
Diagnostic Tests
Accuracy is everything, especially when it comes to health care.
Knowing this, Blanchard Valley Hospital routinely brings one of the most accurate mobile diagnostic systems to Findlay. The mobile unit offers a procedure called a PET/CT scan, which is short for Positron Emission Tomography and Computerized Tomography. Pronounced "pet C-T," this is a set of diagnostic tests that evaluate organ anatomy and body functions.
In this test, which is performed in a mobile unit, the patient receives two scans – the CT scan, which takes an X-ray of the whole body, and the PET scan which follows and focuses on the physiological areas where radioactive tracer will show up.
PET/CT scans can be used in patients with cardiac conditions, as well as those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Cancer patients may also undergo a PET/CT scan because the procedure can pinpoint the exact location of cancer within the body.
Ultimately, the precise nature of a PET/CT scan allows radiologists to prescribe the best course of treatment for their patients because they know exactly where to focus their attention.
How does a PET/CT do all of this?
Because the patient has already been diagnosed with a particular condition, a PET/CT is ordered by a specialized medical professional, like a radiation or medical oncologist in the case of a cancer patient. Before the PET/CT takes place, a patient is injected with radioactive sugar water, called FDG, which will allow a radiologist to see any abnormal areas on the scan’s results. For 45 minutes, the patient must sit in a dark, quiet room to allow the radioactive tracer to circulate through their body.
When the procedure is finished, the results from the PET scan are laid on top of the results from the CT scan. A radiologist can not only see inside the patient’s body, but can also see exactly where their disease is located, thanks to the radioactive tracer.
The entire process takes about two hours.
At BVH, a Nuclear Medicine Specialist specially trained in PET/CT, then reads the scans and passes along information to the patient’s referring physician.
More questions on PET/CT procedures? Visit the American College of Radiology.