What's a PET Scan like?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m scheduled for one. It’ll look at my chest and stomach.

Is it similar to a CT scan only slower? As a card-carrying claustrophobic, might I need
to be sedated?

2

Yes, it is similar to a CT scan, only slower. In general a PET scanner is more open than an MRI but less than a CT scanner. That said, if they’re looking at your chest and stomach, your head shouldn’t be under the scanner much and, in my experience, that is what bothers claustrophobic people the most. If you’re extremely claustrophobic you should ask your regular doctor for a mild sedative or anti-anxiety medication like Xanax so you can take it beforehand. In most PET scans, you’ll be positioned in the scanner, then a short CT “map” will be taken(most PET scanners have small CT scanners built in). Then you’ll be injected with a radioisotope that emits positrons(antimatter, cool!). As the positrons are emitted they almost immediately annihilate themselves with electrons and emit a couple gamma rays which are detected by the PET scanner and form the image. The imaging is usually about 15 minutes or so, per scan.

3

Thanks for taking the time to deliver a fine explanation.

Mods, you may close this thread if the mood suits you.

4

Wait a minute!!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Will I have to keep my arms up and away from my chest for the whole 15 minutes like I must do for a CT Scan??

5

Most likely. Unless you have a serious orthopedic limitation that keeps you from doing so. Most places will have a pretty comfortable arm rest to put your arms in though.

6

I had a full-body PET scan a couple of months ago (stage III melanoma). I was injected with radioactivity (for the record, it doesn’t make you glow, nor does it give you superpowers. Yes, I was disappointed.) , then sat in a recliner for an hour. The theory is that cancer cells feed off of sugar and the stuff in the shot is attracted to that sugar - which is why I wasn’t allowed to read as the page-turning arm movements would attract the stuff as well. The machine is open-ended but didn’t have any armrests - instead they wrapped me with velcro to keep my arms in. The only problem I had with the deal is that I found out I can’t lie flat on my back for an hour; next time I go in I’ll know to ask for knee support.

7

Hey chique! /waves

Just to clarify, you were probably given fluorine18 FDG(Fluorodeoxyglucose) so the compound(we say radiotracer) itself is actually made up of a simple sugar. Some cancer cells, like you said, metabolize lots of sugar, so they will take up the FDG the same as any other sugar. Oh, and by the way, you WERE “glowing”, it’s just that you were glowing in 511 MeV gamma rays, so sadly you can’t see it. :slight_smile:

8

I can live with that. Thanks.