PET (Position Emission Tomography)

Lexington Medical Center’s Most Powerful Diagnostic Tool

At Lexington Medical Center, we are constantly seeking the most advanced medical technology, programs and services that enable our medical team to treat patients with the finest healthcare resources in the region. One of the latest additions to compliment our advanced resources is the new Position Emission Tomography (PET). A PET/CT scan is a noninvasive procedure that provides unique information about the body's chemistry and cell function. The CT portion of the test provides anatomical markers to help pinpoint the exact location of the disease.

Research has shown that PET/CT can effectively pinpoint the source of most common cancers, giving physicians and other healthcare workers vital early information about cardiac and neurological diseases. This information streamlines the diagnostic process, reducing the need for further testing and invasive biopsies. Since PET/CT scans provide pictures of the body's chemistry and anatomy, many diseases can be discovered in their very earliest stages. And in one single examination, a PET/CT scan allows a physician to look at every organ system in the body. A PET/CT scan studies both your body structures and metabolic functions.

How does a PET/CT scan work?
Position emission tomography (PET/CT) is a camera that produces powerful images of the human body and allows your physician to see what is happening inside your body. Patients are injected with a small amount of radioactive glucose called FDG through a small IV. There is no danger from this injection as the radiation exposure is the same that is associated with a conventional CT scan.

Once the glucose has been injected, a scanner picks up the glucose signals as they journey through the body to the organs targeted for examination. A computer then converts the signals into pictures that reveal medical diagnostic information.

What will a PET/CT scan reveal?
A single PET/CT scan can give your doctor information about the functions of your entire body. The most common areas in which a PET/CT scan can be beneficial are in the fields of Oncology, Cardiology and Neurology. Oncology (the study of cancer) is the most common application of a PET/CT scan. It can provide vital diagnostic information that can alter the course of cancer treatment and help avoid unnecessary surgery. A PET/CT scan can also provide critical information on: 

• if the tumor is malignant 
• the extent of the cancer 
• if it has spread to other organs or metastasized
• monitoring for cancer recurrences
• monitoring the effectiveness of treatment

Cardiology (the study of the heart) is another important application for a PET/CT scan because it provides the highest accuracy level of any noninvasive procedure in diagnosing artery disease, the measurement of myocardial blood flow reserve and the extent of cardiac muscle damage.

In neurology (the study of the brain), a PET/CT scan provides the most accurate information to localize the areas of the brain causing epileptic seizures and to determine if surgery is an option. It is also useful in the diagnosis of complex dementia disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and Down's Syndrome.

The Benefits of PET/CT

The key benefits of a PET/CT scan are: 

• Provides answers to whether a tumor is malignant or benign 
• Safe, noninvasive diagnostic procedure 
• Detailed diagnostic information
• Shorter time for definitive diagnosis 
• Earlier detection of disease with fewer invasive diagnostic procedures 
• Precise staging of the disease
• More effective tracking of the results of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Can result in less intensive surgery and/or avoidance of some surgeries 
• Identification of distant tumors 
• Distinguishes between scar tissue and tumor recurrence 
• Contributes to lowering overall healthcare costs