Brain PET Scan

This post is from my own research during my study at BAU, it is part of my senior project.

A brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan uses a radioactive substance called a tracer to look for disease or injury in the brain. A PET scan shows how the brain and its tissues are working. Other imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans only reveal the structure of the brain.

Imaging procedure:

A PET scan requires a small amount of radioactive material (tracer). This tracer is given through a vein. The tracer travels through your blood and collects in organs and tissues. You wait nearby as the tracer is absorbed by your body. This usually takes about 1 hour. Then, you lie on a narrow table, which slides into the PET scanner that detects signals from the tracer. A computer changes the results into 3-D pictures. The images are displayed on a monitor for your provider to read.