PET/CT Scans

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, Ph.D., 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.

 

What are PET/CT scans?

A PET/CT scan fuses two advanced diagnostic imaging technologies: 

Positron emission tomography (PET)

PET is a type of nuclear medicine that reveals unusual cellular function and metabolic activity, making it the gold standard for revealing tumors and inflammation. Nuclear medicine uses special drugs (radiotracers) containing a tiny amount of radiation.After you receive the drug (whether orally, intravenously, through an intramuscular injection, or another method), it briefly attaches to specific cells in organs or tissues. The PET device picks up the radiation and uses the information to create images showing biochemical changes in your body, such as the rapid metabolism of sugar by cancer cells.

Computed tomography (CT) CT scans take X-rays around your body, creating cross-sectional images from many angles. A computer converts that information into highly detailed, 3D images, revealing the tumors’ size, location, and shape. Combining PET and CT scans provides more precise information and allows a more accurate diagnosis than if the two were done separately.

When would I need a PET/CT scan?

Your physician may recommend a PET/CT scan at imagingwest to:

  • Detect and diagnose cancer

  • Determine if cancer has spread or recurred

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of cancer treatment

  • Assess tissue metabolism and ability to function

  • Identify and evaluate brain tumors

  • Identify and evaluate functional brain abnormalities associated with dementia

A PET/CT scan before and after chemotherapy can also diagnose the neurological changes responsible for cognitive impairments that often occur during cancer treatment.



What happens during a PET/CT scan?

For the first step, Dr. Riedl administers the radiotracer. Then you have to wait for a time to give the drug time to attach to the targeted cells.PET/CT machines are large and round (like a doughnut) with an opening in the center. For the scan, you lie comfortably on a table that carries you into the machine’s center. Then you stay still while the components inside the machine move around and take images.PET/CT scans are noninvasive, and you won’t feel anything during the scan. You’re never enclosed — the center of the machine is like a large, open hole — but if you’re claustrophobic, we can work with you to relieve your anxiety and make the experience tolerable.To learn more about the benefits of a PET/CT scan, call imagingwest or request an appointment online today. 

Helpful Information

 

Important to know

  • Please bring copies of your most recent CT, X-ray, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) films with you on the day of your PET/CT scan.

  • No special preparations are required in advance. You can have a small breakfast on the day of the examination.

  • Drink plenty of water one hour before the examination.

  • On the day of the examination, contact with pregnant women or young children should be avoided.

What you need for a PSMA PET-CT

  • The examination costs are not reimbursed by the health insurance companies.

  • Some private insurance companies cover part of the costs, you should definitely submit our fee note there.

  • Depending on the medical question, an individual tracer is produced for your examination.

If you need to cancel your appointment

  • If need to cancel your appointment, please inform us of this no later than the day before by 12 noon, otherwise we will have to charge a cancellation fee.

  • Also, if we can’t reach you to confirm the appointment 48 hours before the exam we will have to reschedule you. You can of course also call us if you are not reachable.

 

How a PSMA PET-CT works

  • We will inject you a small dose of the radioactive tracer substance specially prepared for you.

  • Then wait 120 minutes in a lying position to achieve the appropriate tracer distribution and enrichment.

  • The recording in the scanner takes about 20minutes.

  • Drink plenty of fluids after the examination to speed up the elimination of the tracer.

  • Please let us know if you suffer from claustrophobia. Here are some tips if you do.

Side effects

  • No side effects are to be expected from the injection of the radioactive tracer itself.

  • Side effects can result from the administration of iodine-containing contrast medium in the context of the possibly accompanying contrast medium-assisted computed tomography (intolerance reaction, hyperthyroidism, exacerbation of a pre-existing renal insufficiency).

  • Please make sure to point out in the informative discussion if you have had a reaction to a contrast medium in the past (reddening of the skin, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, etc.).