Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) differs from other diagnostic imaging techniques in that it shows your body’s anatomy and how it is functioning. Unlike conventional imaging methods (X-ray, CT, MRI), which provide still pictures, P.E.T. shows minute chemical and physiological changes with remarkable 3-D images, giving your physician the ability to detect diseases—like cancer—in the earliest stages of development. Since P.E.T. acquires whole body images, it also helps physicians determine whether a disease has spread.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) provides physicians with unique diagnostic information, which may alter patient management and reduce the total cost of patient care. It produces images of molecular-level physiological function which can be used to measure many vital processes, including glucose metabolism, blood flow and perfusion, receptor-ligand binding rates, and oxygen utilization. With these images, physicians can identify normal and abnormal states.
PET is already making critical contributions to more cost-effective patient management in three primary medical disciplines: oncology, cardiology and neurology. As researchers use PET to explore the basic physiology underlying disease processes, additional clinical applications are likely to evolve.
This exciting technology extends the capabilities of other advanced imaging modalities. Like MR and CT, for example, it uses proven tomographic algorithms to display data as cross-sectional images in any plane. And like nuclear medicine, these images represent the distribution of internal radiotracers.
For more information please contact:
Wes Fairchild
wfairchild@mahc.net
870-802-2042. |
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St. Bernards Medical Center |
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