How do pet scans work? my wife is scheduled for a pet scan and i was wondering how it works. is this a good test relative to the other kinds of tests you can do? is it accurate? do you know how long it usually takes to get the results back?

PET : Pet scans work by detecting areas of high metabolic activity in the body and producing a three-dimensional image that reflects functional processes. It is considered a very good test relative to other kinds of imaging tests, and is very accurate for certain indications. Common indications include the diagnosis, staging, and re-staging of certain cancers such as non small cell lung cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma. It is also used to evaluate treatment response in certain cancers such as breast cancer. Sometimes it is used for problem solving when other tests were inconclusive. The nuclear medicine physician or radiologist, who is a doctor who specializes in diagnostic imaging, will usually interpret the study on the day that it is performed or the day after. The results should be available for your doctor who ordered the test to review by the following day. Contact your doctor a day or two after the test to review the results with you.

Metabolic activity: Pet scans work by localizing areas of metabolic activity. You are given an IV of a substance (there are a few) that will be attracted and collect at areas of your body that are metabolically active (infection, inflammation, cancer.) they then perform a sort of xray that will show areas where this substance has collected. This helps localize areas of concern. Results same day.

Positrons -Really!!: A pet/ct looks at the function of the body. Radioactive drugs (usually a glucose analog) distribute based on differences in function, release a positron (antimatter), which is destroyed by combining with an electron, making an x-ray we detect. Follow the directions the imaging center gives exactly, because patient prep is critical to getting the best test. Pet/cts are usually read the same day.