What is a PET-CT scan?

Positron Emission Tomography

Positron Emission Tomography, or PET scans for short, is a nuclear medicine examination that can be used to visualize metabolic processes in the body or the properties of tumors. The combination of PET and CT enables the spread of a disease to be recorded precisely and for therapies to be optimally planned. PET Scans are functional images of the body or brain that allow physicians to clearly detect and start treating disease processes in an early and efficient manner.

PET/CT scans provide information about cancer, brain function, and cellular activities that can’t be obtained through any other diagnostic procedure. Though PET/CT scans are often used to diagnose heart disease, Christopher Riedl, MD, PhD, at imagingwest in Hawthorne, New York, specializes in using this advanced technique to diagnose cancer and certain brain conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. One of the greatest advantages of a PET/CT scan is its ability to find new, recurrent, or metastasized cancer at the earliest possible stage. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call the office or use the online booking feature today. 

Detecting cancer throughout the body

A PET-CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan in order to provide the most detailed information about your cancer. Using a number of different tracers, we can target a variety of cancers throughout the body.

The CT scan takes a series of x-rays from all around your body and puts them together to create a 3-dimensional (3D) picture.

The PET scan uses a mildly radioactive drug to highlight areas of your body where cells are more active than normal.

Detecting functional abnormalities in brain

Brain disorders involve functional abnormalities that can either increase or decrease metabolism in the brain. In an FDG-PET scan, patients are injected with a small dose of radioactively labeled glucose. The scans identify patterns of metabolism that are characteristic of certain disorders. Brain PET scans are useful for detecting functional abnormalities early in the course of disease– even before the onset of anatomical changes.

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease

In Alzheimer's disease, there is a characteristic pattern of decreased brain metabolism in specific parts of the brain. A PET scan can both improve the accuracy of dementia diagnosis and distinguish between different forms of dementia.

(Different types of dementia require different medications. The wrong diagnosis and medication can have negative effects, making a correct and early diagnosis essential for effective treatment.)

For additional information see Alzheimer's & Other Dementias

Post-chemotherapy cognitive problems

PET imaging provides a direct look at brain metabolism associated with post-chemo brain problems, often called "chemo-brain" or "chemo fog". Changes in human brain metabolism associated with commonly used chemotherapy agents were first identified at UCLA.

For additional information see Cancer & Post-Chemo Brain