Question 1

getting my first pet scan, will i get sick or nauseous from the radioactive medication/injection that i will receive?

Accepted Answer

Not usually: Involves injection of radioisotope  f18 fdg. Isotope tagged to sugar or glucose and goes to areas of increase metabolism of glucose, you should not eat for several hours prior to exam, avoid muscular activity for 24 hrs prior.(glucose goes to these muscles) machine images the distribution of isotope along with ct for localization and attenuation.People do not usually have problems with isotope.

Question 2

my husband is getting a psma pet scan where they inject a tracer into his body. do i have to worry about him being radioactive when he gets home?

Accepted Answer

: The radioactivity in a pet scan is trivial and poses no danger to the patient or those around him.

Question 3

so continuous radiation that focuses on thyroid  ct scans and radioactive dye from pet scans can't destroy someone's thyroid gland causing it to fail ...leading to hypothyroid issues ?

Accepted Answer

It does have effect : Radioactive dyes containing iodine of the iodide type can cause permanent thyroid damage and cancer.
This was published id a study by dr brunelli from brigham and womens hospital in boston and published in the archives of internal medicine.In 2012.

Question 4

what can a pet scan show?

Accepted Answer

Functioning: It is a functional test and shows which parts of the body are using the most glucose. This is an indirect measure of how active the cells are.

Question 5

what are pet scans? what exactly is a pet scan?

Accepted Answer

Positron : Positron emission tomography (pet) is a test that uses a special type of camera and a tracer (radioactive chemical) to look at organs in the body. The tracer usually is a substance (such as glucose) that can be used (metabolized) by cells in the body.
During the test, the tracer liquid is put into a vein in your arm. The tracer moves through your body, where much of it collects in the specific organ or tissue. The tracer gives off tiny positively charged particles (positrons). The camera records the positrons and turns the recording into pictures on a computer.
Pet scan pictures do not show as much detail as computed tomography (ct) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because the pictures show only the location of the tracer. The pet picture may be matched with those from a ct scan to get more detailed information about where the tracer is located. 
A pet scan is often used to evaluate cancer, check blood flow, or see how organs are working.

Question 6

can someone be with me while i have a pet scan?

Accepted Answer

Probably: I would not recommend a child or pregnant woman be the companion.The amount of radiation dose is minimal to caretaker as long as has usual distance of 3.5 feet from patient.Study involves injection of isotope and sitting in quiet room for about 45 minutes.Then pet ct scan performed possibly for another half hour. Typical dose would be about 0.13 msv.Round-trip flight from new york to tokyo 0.13msv.

Question 7

are pet scans accurate or are other scans better?

Accepted Answer

PET SCAN/OTHER SCANS: Pet scan is accurate and is mainly used for cancer/metastasis and coronary artery disease mainly.It is a very sensitive test and defines the cellular level metabolic changes in an organ and it can detect early changes which may not be possible on MRI and cat scan exam.
But for practical reasons the use of pet scan is limited as most of the conditions can be diagnosed with MRI or cat scan.

Question 8

what is the definition or description of: pet scan?

Accepted Answer

3D Functional Image: Three-dimensional image of functional processes in the body.  The scan is acquired after the administration of a radiotracer. Most commonly done with fdg, an analogue of glucose, creating a metabolic image of glucose consumption by body tissues. Pet scans are very sensitive and use to detect cancer, infection, heart and cognitive disorders.

Question 9

how many pet scans can a person safely have in 2 months?

Accepted Answer

Need vs safety: The average background radiation exposure is a bout 2 msv (millisievert)/yr, and an average pet scan uses 5-7, ct=6.5-8, chest xray=0.02, and an aircrew member 4-9/yr, for comparison. It is hard to tell how many pet can be safely done--if you need it and the benefit outweights the risk, it does not matter how many. Talk to your doc/oncologist/radiologist--they know your case best. Good luck.

Question 10

what is suv on a pet scan?

Accepted Answer

A measure: Standardized uptake value. There are a normal range of suvs for various organs and too low of a range and too high of a range.

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Doctor answers about:

Radioactive after pet scan

A member asked:

Getting my first pet scan, will i get sick or nauseous from the radioactive medication/injection that i will receive?

A member asked:

My husband is getting a psma pet scan where they inject a tracer into his body. do i have to worry about him being radioactive when he gets home?

A member asked:

So continuous radiation that focuses on thyroid ct scans and radioactive dye from pet scans can't destroy someone's thyroid gland causing it to fail ...leading to hypothyroid issues ?

A member asked:

What can a pet scan show?

A member asked:

What are pet scans? what exactly is a pet scan?

A member asked:

Can someone be with me while i have a pet scan?

A member asked:

Are pet scans accurate or are other scans better?

A member asked:

What is the definition or description of: pet scan?

A member asked:

How many pet scans can a person safely have in 2 months?

A member asked:

What is suv on a pet scan?

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