How does a PET scanner work?

PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. is an acronym for “Positron Emission Tomography.” It refers to a technique for imaging the inside of a patient’s body using radiation emitted by special drugs called radiopharmaceuticals.

A radiopharmaceutical is a drug containing small amounts of radioactivity. Its radioactive atoms are attached to molecules designed to collect in certain body tissues and organs, depending on what the doctor wants to look at. A PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. scanner detects the radiation emitted by radiopharmaceuticals injected in the patient, and the scanner uses this information to construct a 3D distribution of radioactivity in the patient.

PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. imaging relies on a specific radioactive process called positron emission. In this process, a radioactive atom decays and emits a positively charged electron, or positron. After the positron travels only a short distance in the patient, it combines with an electron and the two particles annihilate each other, converting into two photonsA photon is a particle of electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light, x-rays, and gamma rays. of equal energy (511 keV) traveling in opposite directions. The photonsA photon is a particle of electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light, x-rays, and gamma rays. that escape the body can be detected at the same time by two detectors on opposite sides of the PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. scanner.

Examples of PET images (colored) superimposed on MRI images (grayscale).

PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. scanners have better radiation sensitivity than other nuclear medicine imaging techniques. Advanced PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. electronics can detect when two photonsA photon is a particle of electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light, x-rays, and gamma rays. with the energy of 511 keV each have arrived at detectors at the same time, and these data are run through sophisticated computer algorithms to produce an image of where a radiopharmaceutical has concentrated in the patient’s body.

PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. imaging has demonstrated significant value in diagnosing, describing, staging and monitoring the treatment response of diseases, especially cancer. PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease./CT machines combine PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. and CT scanners to achieve enhanced imaging accuracy: the CT data are used to correct the PETPET, or positron emission tomography, is an imaging method that uses low amounts of radioactive material to identify areas of disease. data for photon attenuation"Photon attenuation" refers to how some of the photons will be absorbed by the body. Without correction, this would result in a less bright PET image. CT data can be used to correct this. as well as to provide complementary images of the patient’s anatomy.