PET CT scan

PET CT scan

A PET CT scan can quickly be done to get a series of images from a patient’s inner body organs. Also known as the positron emission tomography (which is the full form) this particular test uses some radiation which mainly shows the activities that are happening within the human body but at a cellular level. This test is done along with the combination of a CT scan or an MRI test so that it can produce some helpful and multidimensional imaged (which are also coloured) of the interior of a human body.

Why one would need a PET scan?

This test is mainly prescribed by the doctors to the patients to check if there is any new disease which has emerged in their body or if there is any need of surgery due to some illness or internal injuries. Sometimes, these tests are also prescribed to find out if the ongoing treatment on a patient’s body is successful or not. A PET CT scan in Hyderabad mainly done to find out diseases on brain, heart and cancer conditions.

Here are the possible reasons a doctor can prescribe a PET CT scan:

•    To find cancer.

•    To check if the cancer treatment is working or not.

•    To see if cancer has spread and how much it has spread.

•    To determine if cancer has again come back after the treatment is done.

•    Look at the side effects of the heart attacks.

•    Check blood flow in the heart muscles.

•    Determining the best treatment procedure for clogged arteries.

•    Treat the seizures faced by the patients.

•    Check if one has Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

•    Determine the location of tumours if there are any.

PET CT scan

Why PET scans are different from MRI and Regular CT scans?

At present, doctors use different types of imaging tests for various reasons. In the preliminary stage, they start with X rays because they do not take much time and the doctors can chalk out some necessary information. But when they need other more delicate details, then they always go for an MRI test and CT scans. In a few cases, the doctors can also root for hybrid scanners which mainly combine two tools into a single scan.

But when it comes to a PET CT scan, it shows what is happening to a body’s cells. This test mainly does when one finds nothing alarming in a CT scan or an MRI scan. PET CT shows if there is something wrong in the cell’s working procedure. If the other tests do not discover something, a PET CT image can always do that.


In case of a PET CT scan, the doctor will first inject a minimal amount of radiotracer in the vein of the patient with the help of an injection. The tracer can also be taken in by mouth as a gas. Now, how much time the radiotracer will take to reach the organ (can be 30 to 90 minutes) vary depending on which organ the test will be done. Meanwhile, the patient can lie down and rest and try to relax.

The patient will need to wear a loose gown, and they will not be allowed to keep any jewellery on their body during the time of the test. Once the patient is ready, they will be taken to a particular scan room, and they will ask to lie down on an examination table. Once the test procedure starts, the table will slide into a large hole, and a magnetic machine will surround the patient. Here, the patient needs to lie as still as possible and as the scan starts the engine will start taking images. This entire test procedure is not painful at all, but there are constant buzzing sounds of the machine that can make the patient feel uneasy or nauseous. If that happens, then they can press the buzzer and allow the lab assistant. The entire testing procedure mostly takes not more than two hours. Most of the patients can go home as soon as the scan finished.

After the test is done, the patient needs to consume a lot of water to flush out the radioactive tracers from their system as fast as they can. They should be completely flushed out after 3 to 4 hours.

In the case of PET CT scans there is a slight risk of radiation exposures. But in this case, the benefits always outweigh the risks. But the radioactive material is not still suitable for everyone. A pregnant woman should not go for a PET scan because the radioactive material can affect the infant or the foetus. If a woman is breastfeeding, then also they should be pumping out breast milk after the examination, so that there should be no toxins left inside. Any woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding should tell her doctor straight away before having a PET scan.

If a patient has undergone a PET CT scan, then they might be advised to stay away from the pregnant woman, young children and infants for a few hours. Some people might also be allergic to the tracer.

The patient needs to tell the doctors if they have any allergic tendencies from any contrast dyes. Or if they have allergic tendencies from iodine or any particular seafood. They also need to let know the doctor if they have a specific illness like heart diseases and diabetes. It is also necessary to tell the doctors the medications that they are taking (if there are any).

One can quickly check the PET CT scan cost in Hyderabad in any hospital (where there is a provision) before going there for the test. In most cases, a prior appointment needed. In most of the cases, it takes a maximum of 45 minutes to finish off the test, but sometimes it can be more.

Also Read: Slow down age Related Hearing loss

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