(1) Philips Gemini LXL 16 slice PET/CT scanner

Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes to your exam. Leave your watch, jewelry and other valuables at home. Plan to be at the testing center for 2 to 2 ½ hours. It is important to arrive on time. If you cannot arrive on time, please call 24 hours in advance to reschedule your test.

• Do not eat or drink for at least 6 hours before your exam, with the exception of water.
• Drink 3-4 8-oz glasses of water within 4 hours prior to your test; empty your bladder as often as needed.
• If your doctor has told you to take your regular medicine, you may take it with water.
• Eat a low-carbohydrate diet, and limit exercise the day before your exam.
• Do not consume nicotine or caffeine 4 hours prior to your exam.

Please tell your doctor if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to an enhancing agent or iodine; special medicine may be prescribed for you to take before your exam. If you are anxious about the test, or have a fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), tell your physician before the day of your exam; your doctor can prescribe medicine to help you relax. Other nuclear medicine procedures should not be scheduled the same day as your PET/CT exam. For your safety, please notify our scheduling department and technologists:

• If you have asthma
• If you are pregnant or breast-feeding
• If you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to an enhancing agent or iodine
• If you find it difficult or uncomfortable to lie flat on your back

You will change into a hospital gown or scrubs and remove all metal objects that could interfere with the scan. The technologist will test your blood sugar and then start an IV. You will then receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive glucose through the IV. The IV will be removed and you will be asked to relax quietly in a comfortable recliner while the glucose works its way through your body. During this time it is important to relax, even reading a book will alter where the glucose is utilized and could jeopardize the exam.

After the resting period you will be asked to empty your bladder and the technologist will escort you into the scanning room where you will lie down on the scanner table. It is important that you are comfortable and will need to lie as still as possible for 25-35 minutes as the table passes slowly through the scanner acquiring several sets of images. The procedure is painless and has no side effects. 

• Once the PET/CT scan is complete, you will be able to leave. Please ensure that you drink plenty of water or other fluids throughout the day. 
• A radiologist specially trained in interpreting PET/CT scans will read the study and provide the results to your referring physician. Your physician will contact you to discuss your PET/CT scan results. 

The majority of PET/CT scans are performed for oncologic applications. Physicians utilize PET/CT scans for diagnosing, staging and evaluating treatments for their cancer patients.

A PET scan helps the physician distinguish between benign and malignant disorders by assessing tissues at a cellular level. A PET/CT scan can show the extent of disease. For patients whose cancer is newly diagnosed, it is important to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body so that appropriate treatment can begin as soon as possible. A PET scan images the entire body in a single examination, and aids the physician in detecting the primary site(s) as well as any metastases. Painful, costly and invasive surgery, such as thoracotomy, may no longer be necessary for diagnosis.

A PET/CT scan will also help physicians monitor the treatment of disease. For example, chemotherapy leads to changes in cellular activity that is observable by PET/CT long before structural changes can be measured by CT alone. This gives physicians an alternative technique to evaluate treatment plans earlier, perhaps even leading to modifications in treatment, before an evaluation would normally be made using other imaging technologies.

After treatment is complete, a PET/CT scan allows the physician to investigate suspected recurrence of cancer, revealing tumors that might otherwise be obscured by scar tissue resulting from surgery and radiation therapy.