PROJECT

DATE CLIENTNOV.1ST 2013 THERESA YIP & MICHELLE MA

Positron Emission TomographyPET SCAN

What is a PET Scan?

Full name: Positron Emission Tomography

A nuclear medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image of functional processes in the body.

Especially valuable in imaging the brain

Detects the metabolism level of injected substances (glucose), made radioactive to show the most active parts of the brain.

How does a PET scan work?

A short lived radioactive tracer isotope (a simple sugar and a small amount of radioactive fluorine), called F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), is injected into the patient. The tracer is chemically incorporated in to a biologically active molecule(usually glucose).

PET detects the gamma rays emitted by positively-charged particles (positrons) when the radiotracer is broken down inside the body

Different concentrations of positrons that represent different levels of tissue function then show up as areas of different colours and brightness

These are then processed by the computer to generate images.

PET Scan images

IMAGES ON HOW THE BRAIN SCAN LOOKS DURING DIFFERENT SITUATIONS

StrengthsEarly PET scan can diagnose any abnormalities in activity level e.g. Can help detect cancer, brain disorders, heart conditions and other diseases

By identifying changes in the body at the cellular level, PET imaging may detect the early onset of disease before it is evident on other imaging tests such as CT or MRI.

PET scan can avoid unnecessary surgery

For many diseases, nuclear medicine scans yield the most useful information needed to make a diagnosis or to determine appropriate treatment, if any.

Nuclear medicine is less expensive and may yield more precise information than exploratory surgery.

The information provided by nuclear medicine examinations is unique and often unattainable using other imaging procedures.

LimitationsTime-consuming

Not as precise as fMRI scan

PET scan might be dangerous depending on each individual’s heart conditions

PET scan can sometimes show up areas of high activity which my be mistake for cancers

The radioactive substance has a very short decay and therefore appointments must run on schedule.

PET scans are a very expensive form of imaging, and are not readily available all the time.

Bibliography• Brain Positron Emission Tomography. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_positron_emission_tomography

• Raichle. M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/living_with_alzheimers_your_brain.asp

• Silverman D. (Doctor) (2011, July 18). What is a PET Scan? Podcast retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scoOTHl879A

• (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=7988