What does an abnormal pet scan look like?

Increased activity: Where it shouldn't be. All organ systems have some metabolic activity, but active organs, such as the heart, kidneys and brain are normally very active. However, the bones, lungs and muscle are not. Various color schemes can be used to detect abnormal uptake. The yellow orange areas show metastatic disease in the liver and bone.

PET scan: The area where the abnormal is "lights up" or becomes "hot" in appearance when compared to the surrounding normal structures.