If your doctor recommends that you receive a PET CT scan in Riverhead NY, you may wonder what this test entails. This particular scan utilizes two forms of medical imaging at once. This test will minimize the different scans that must be done, while detecting a number of diseases.
Positron emission tomography, or PET, is a type of medical imaging technique where a patient takes a radioactive tracer, which his typically injected into their veins. When undergoing the PET, the most commonly used tracer is a form of glucose that is radioactive. The scan will show how the body is able to break down and use the glucose. This is commonly used for the detection of cancer, since cancer cells will use glucose in a different manner than a healthy cell, which will be evident when the scan is done. The computerized tomography, or CT, utilizes x-rays in order to produce images of a patient’s body.
When the PET and the CT is combined, doctors are able to find out more information about the different conditions that are affecting the body’s organs. This will also help your doctor come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
What are the Risks Involved with the PET/CT?
The total amount of radiation that is present in the tracer that is used is equivalent to the radiation that you are exposed to when you have a traditional x-ray. Additionally, the benefits that are offered by this type of scan will far outweigh any possible risk that the radiation may present. There are no side effects produced by the tracer. It will not make your drowsy and you will be fine to drive after you have the test preformed.
It is important that anyone who is currently pregnant and young children are not brought along to the appointment. The test is also not designed to be performed for women who are pregnant. This is to protect the well-being of the baby and ensure that the radioactive tracer does not cause any adverse effects.
Keep in mind, if your doctor does recommend that you have the PET CT scan performed, they will provide you with instructions on what you can and cannot do before the appointment. It is important that you follow these instructions in order for the test to be effective and provide the results that are needed to determine the condition you are suffering from.
Has your doctor recommended that you have a PET CT Riverhead NY? If so, find out helpful information from the North Fork Radiology website.
