BROADGREEN HOSPITAL - PET CT CENTRE
- THOMAS DRIVE
L14 3LB LIVERPOOL, MERSEYSIDE
Phone: 0845 045 0103
Fax: 01926 482 148
E-mail: Send messagewww.alliancemedical.co.uk
Short profile:
Opening Hours: By appointment. PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. It's an imaging technique that uses small quantities of a radioactive tracer called 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (similar to sugar), to produce images showing the chemical and physiological changes within the patient.
CT (Computed Tomography) utilises X-rays to produce pictures showing the density of different organs in the body. By combining these two techniques in one scanner, we're able to produce images that illustrate active pathology and anatomical location in astonishing clarity.
This technique is primarily used in the diagnosis and management of patients in oncology, however, it also has applications in cardiology and neurology.
Detailed description:
Unlike some other diagnostic procedures, PET/CT scanning typically needs important patient preparation, for example, a six hour fast prior to the procedure and, in some instances, bowel preparation. There is a small amount of radiation involved in the procedure, similar to other diagnostic scan procedures such as CT. The risk associated with this is very small and it's considered that the risk of missing a serious problem if you don't have a PET/CT scan is much higher. This imaging technique has been used safely since 1973, with many thousands of examinations being performed on patients around the world each day. The radioactive component of the PET/CT scan is called Fluorine–18.
Fluorine is attached to glucose in the injection given to the patient. Radioactivity is often described in terms of its half-life. Half-life is defined as the time taken for radioactivity to fall to half its initial level. Fluorine has a half life of 110 minutes.
This means that the level of radioactivity remaining in the body halves every 110 minutes. Therefore, it's safe to say that within 8 hours there will be an insignificant amount of radioactivity in the body. Patients who are pregnant will not receive a PET/CT scan so in this instance, a further consultation with the clinician should be arranged.
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