Table of Contents
Introduction of what is a pet scan
What is a pet scan? It is a medical test that needs to know the functioning of the tissue at the cellular level. “Teethe” full form of PET=Position Emission Tomography. The scan’s meaning is to collect the images of misfunctioning cells or tissue, which helps determine where the disease. Even if you have higher chemical activity in some areas, then the scan can quickly provide you the pictures of those areas. This scan creates a three-dimensional view of the tissue or cell and provides information to the doctors. Sometimes, the PET scan shows images combined with a CT scan or MRI scan to create unique images.]
This scan will show you the disease faster than the other tests. A PET scan is an imaging technology that provides images of the cells of our body. For watching the images, there have to put something inside the body. A radioactive substance name radioactive tracer is put into the patient’s body through injecting, swallowing, or inhaling. The tracer goes through the veins and creates images. The images are found by taking the patient in a tunnel-like device, translating the radiations into images.
This scan is useful to know about various diseases or conditions of our body organs. A PET scan can measure the badness of the diseases like cancer, heart disease, and damage to brain cells. This scan is widely impacting on identifying the disorders of our body.
What is a pet scan, and why is it done?
A PET scan is an imaging test that shows pictures of the cells, tissue, or any blockage. This test differs from the CT and MRI scans. This test is primarily for identifying the conditions of heart attacks, brain hemorrhage, jams, or cancers. A way to know about the disease or conditions within a short period. Through the tracer and the round-like device, you can get a perfect three-dimensional picture. In a cancer patient’s body, when the radioactive tracer goes, then in the images, you will see the cancer cells as the bright cells. As we know, cancer cells have a high metabolic rate, so in the pictures, the cells look brighter. Moreover, you will also see the spread of the tumor around that cell.
The chemical can go to any part of our body to give pictures. It goes through the veins, for which it does not face any problem. However, let’s come to the heart, lungs, and brain. The PET scan can reveal the picture of the blockage and less blood flow in the heart, brain, and lung. In this picture, you will see that the number of bright cells is more in the blockage area. Again a doctor can easily say that you have a block or not by injecting the fluid. In A good heart, the lung will accept more fluid than an unhealthy heart. Now come to a brain disorder. When there is aggregation in the artery of your brain, the blood flow becomes less, and the artery blast and does hemorrhage. Through the tracer, the doctor can quickly determine the place of the block and take further steps.
Difference between PET scan and other scan tests
A PET scan is a test that can easily find the injuries more precisely than other tests or scans. CT scans and MRI are the old versions of this test. PET scan is the newest scan you will find now. There you will find some differences between these tests. You will find that all the tests give you clear pictures of the bones, organs, and cells. But, a CT scan is the oldest scan after an X-ray through which you only can find out the injury in the bones. This scan gives you precise and more details of pictures than X-rays.
But an MRI test is more precise than a CT scan in it, and you will get an impactful picture of the bones. This test has great use in sports; all injuries of sports are detecting through this scan. When you break your legs, tear your ligaments, and hands, the scan will give you a better and clearer picture than a CT scan. CT scan cannot provide you such clear and precise images. Another new scan is the PET scan, and it has many extra features which are not available in the previous ones. This scan can precisely give you images of bones, organs, and even cells too. This scan does not use radiations like CT scans.
You can detect blockage, bleeding, and growing cells of the tumor too. It mainly works on the illness of blood and other organs.
Working process of PET scan or test
A pet scan is the newest test through which you can find your cells and organs’ disorders. Through this test, a doctor can find out injuries in your bones, and it is the only test through which conditions in cells and tissues can be found. The reason behind any problems in the heart or less blood supply in the brain or lung for blockage can easily be found through this test. The working procedure of this test is also much interesting. It is not damaging to your body like a CT scan because it does not use any radiation for determining the injuries.
In this test, you will find out a small amount of glucose or radioactive fluid is vital to run the test. It is quite similar to a working procedure of a nuclear stress test. Through your vein or by inhaling, a radioactive tracer is given to your body. This tracer goes to all the organs of your body through the veins. If you have a heart disorder, then the heart will not take much tracer than a healthy heart. Moreover, if you have a tumor or abnormal cell development, then the test will show you a clear picture of it. Damaging cells collect more tracer than a normal cell in the image. The images come through taking the patient through a round-like machine and a computer.
Risk factors of a PET scan
What is a pet scan? We have understood this test. Now, we will learn about its risks and its contradictions. The PET scan is the newest and more accurate test you will get directly. It is a painless and fewer risks test. Through this, your doctor can precisely know about the functioning of your cells and tissue. It is relatively better than CT scan and MRI. The risks in CT scans are the most. This test uses radiation elements which creates many side effects and diseases. The pet scan does not use that much radiation; for that, it has fewer risks. However, some risk factors are too small, and it does not create any problem in maximum cases.
The risk factor of a pet scan is allergy. In this test, the uses of radioactive tracer are too small in quantity. It also contains less amount of radiation. This radiation will not do any problem because it is less than the standard radiation level. The tracer is made of iodine, so if anyone has an iodine allergy, talk to the doctor. This tracer can cause some diseases: allergies, asthma problems, dehydration, and heart disease.
Moreover, if you are pregnant, then it is better not to do the test. The radiation may make a significant impact on the growing fetuses and your unborn baby. Furthermore, do not do the test when your baby still depends on your milk. Finally, there is a small risk because the injection may cause bleeding, brushing, or swelling.
Before and after test precaution
Previously we have understood what a pet scan and its working process is. Now, we will talk about what you have to prepare before and do before the test. As this test is critical, it has a tracer has to put in your body. So, you have to keep some rules and restrict yourself from some activities. You have to limit yourself from other physical activities before doing the test.
Moreover, you will take a prescription, what medication you need to intake before the test. You will also get suggestions of the things you will eat before the test. One should take a low amount of carbohydrates. If you are doing the test in the morning, do not take any food or drinks.
It is safest not to take any food for six hours before applying the anesthesia. Things to wear and food chart will depend on your situation or depends on the doctor. If your glucose level and other health conditions are ok, then the test will go on. in this test, after giving the tracer, you have to wait and then go through a scanning machine. Through this machine, the images are collecting by a technologist. After collecting the images, the test completes. After the test, there are no complications, and you can go home driving yourself. Moreover, be aware of not coming in physical contact with any pregnant women or infants. These were the things to do before, during, and after the test.
FAQs
What is a PET scan, and what does it do?
A PET scan is a test through which you can precisely or accurately determine the diseases and conditions of cells and tissues. In this test, a nurse pushes a tracer in your body through which the disease is found. The tracer will go towards the whole body, and when it goes to the damaged part, it will take the tracer as the tracer contains radioactive elements, so the image of the damaging cell will come in a bright color. It only works for cells and tissue, and this test can determine the disorder in the heart and blockages in the artery. The images come to a computer by taking a patient through a round-like scanning machine.
What to expect during the test?
Then the test takes a long time, around an hour, to complete. In this test, you will find that there are some things you have to maintain before, during, and after the test. You cannot do any sort of physical exercise from one day before the test. Moreover, side by side, you can’t take any carbohydrates before the test. During the trial, you have to visit the test place one hour before. Then the doctor takes the measures and steps the doctor tells you to do. During the test, the nurse will push the tracer, and you have to wait for ha;f an hour. Then you will go through a scanning machine to collect the images. Therefore, we have understood the things to do during the test and’ what is a pet scan?’.
Conclusion of what is a pet scan
What is a pet scan? Many of us may not familiar ourselves with this test, and it is a new test that brings a new dimension to the scanning sector. You will find that there are many critical injuries in the cell, tissue, and bones. All these injuries can be found with fewer side effects and low risk. This has made the disease determine too easy and accurate.
Therefore, in this world, every day, many technologies are inventing. It is making our medical sectors along with other sectors easy. This test has a significant impact on our life by making the test easier than CT scan and MRI.
