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Another Day, Another Scan

So, what's it like having a PET...

The life of a cancer patient is often riddled with tests and scans in between normal visits and treatments, and I’m certainly no different. We are headed to Penn today for a PET scan. I think most people who have had one would agree with me that they’re pretty unpleasant – especially the 6 HOURS of fasting…

But I also think those people would agree that an MRI is way worse. I always say MRIs are awesome if you like laying in a coffin full of jackhammers during an earthquake.

So I think the spectrum goes from, “X-ray?? Alright!!” to “CAT scan! Score!” to “Aww man, a PET scan” to “NOOO!!! An MRI!!”. Or, at least, that’s how I categorize…

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Articles of Interest

PET scans reveal key details of Alzheimer’s protein growth in aging brains

New research led by scientists at UC Berkeley shows for the first time that PET scans can track the progressive stages of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively normal adults, a key advance in the early diagnosis and staging of the neurodegenerative disorder.

PET Scans: Uses, Risks, and Procedure

A PET scan uses radiation to produce 3-D, color images of the inside of the human body. Rather than simply showing what an organ looks like, it can show how well it is working.

The Promise Ahead for Radiology

We know where imaging has been. We think it’s going to a better place. But exactly when it will get there and what it will look like when it arrives are tough to say. We think the new imaging is going to make radiologists very relevant. It’s going to make medicine more efficient. And it’s going to make patient care better.

Resources

Cancer Research UK

After you have had treatment for cancer, a CT scan may show that there are still some signs of the cancer left. But this may not be active disease. It could be scar tissue left over from cancer killed off by your treatment. A PET scan can show whether this tissue is active cancer or not.

Imaging Technology News

Up to date articles...

NeuroscienceNews.com

Latest on PETs.

NHS

An advantage of a PET scan is that it can show how well certain parts of your body are working, rather that showing what it looks like. They're particularly helpful for investigating confirmed cases of cancer, to determine how far the cancer has spread and how well it's responding to treatment.

Patient

Increasingly, PET scans are being combined with another form of imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerised tomography (CT). By superimposing one scan on top of another, doctors can create very detailed pictures of the body.

RadiologyInfo.org

Today, almost all PET scans are performed on instruments that are combined PET and CT scanners. The combined PET/CT scans provide images that pinpoint the anatomic location of abnormal metabolic activity within the body. The combined scans have been shown to provide more accurate diagnoses than the two scans performed separately.