Cost of Pet Scan in India - 16000 INR (220 USD)

Time required - 3 to 5 hours with 8 hours of fasting. Urea and creatinine reports shall be normal to proceed with PET scan safely. A prior appointment is mandatory.  

Overview

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that uncovers how your tissues and organs are working. A PET scan uses a radioactive medication (tracer) to demonstrate this movement. This scan can in some cases recognize disease before it appears on other imaging tests.

The most common use of a PET scan is to stage cancer — to see where it has spread. It may also be used to see how well treatment is working or to locate the best place to take a biopsy or give radiation treatments.

You’ve had a computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, but now your doctor says you need to have a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Why? What will the PET scan show that the others did not, or could not?

Unlike radiation, magnetic and sound-wave imaging tests, which show anatomy — the structures inside your body — a PET scan is a nuclear scan. It uses radioactive substances to show changes in the organs and tissues and how those structures are working. It can also show if disease(mostly cancer) is present. The images are 3D and in color.

You must have thought at time that is PET scan safe ?

Risks

For your PET scan, a radioactive drug (tracer) will be put into your body. Because the amount of radiation you're exposed to is small, the risk of negative effects from it is low. But the tracer might:

• Cause a minor allergic reaction, in rare instances
• Expose your unborn baby to radiation if you are pregnant
• Expose your child to radiation if you are breastfeeding

Uses

Epilepsy: It can reveal which part of the brain the epilepsy is affecting.

This can help doctors decide on the most suitable treatment, and it can be useful if surgery is necessary.

Alzheimer's disease: PET scans can help diagnose Alzheimer's disease by measuring the uptake of glucose in specific parts of the brain.

Brain cells that are affected by Alzheimer's tend to use glucose more slowly than normal cells.

Cancer: PET scans can reveal the presence and stage of cancer, show whether and where it has spread, and help doctors decide on treatment.

A PET scan can give an idea of how well chemotherapy is working, and it can detect a recurring tumor sooner than other techniques.

Heart disease: A PET scan can help detect which parts of the heart have been damaged or scarred, and it can help identify circulation problems in the working of the heart.

This information can help plan treatment options for heart disease.

Medical research: Researchers can learn vital information by using PET scans, especially about the workings of the brain.