PET Scanner: positron emission tomography #z Mainly for following disease course, development, remission, etc…

  • A PET scan uses a small amount of radioactive material (tracer). The tracer is given through a vein (IV). The tracer travels through the blood and collects in organs and tissues. 
  • The most commonly used agent is F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).
  • PET using FDGZ is the most sensitive technique forz staging solid tumours, such as bronchial carcinoma , and in the follow-up of malignancies, particularly lymphoma.
  • PET is also used in the evaluation of ischaemic heart disease and in brain disorders such as dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. 
  • A PET scan measure the important body functions such as blood perfusion of tissues, oxygen use and glucose metabolism.

FDG-PET scans, maximum intensity projections. 

  1. Normal isotope distribution. There is intense uptake in the brain and the neck uptake is in the tonsils. The FDG is excreted by the kidneys.

  2. Lymphoma, showing multiple visceral, nodal, bone and scalp deposits.

FDG-PET/CT of lung cancer.Z  1) Coronal CT image and  2) maximum intensity projection, demonstrating a small left lung cancer.  The remainder of the FDG uptake is physiological