Chapter 3: Description of PET Scans Flashcards
Nuclear Medicine is a branch of?
Medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive substances to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases.
How are Radioactive substances are administered?
By mouth or injection.
The radioactive compounds accumulate in the organ or area of the body being examined and detected by?
Special camera that produces the images.
Nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint activity at the molecular level which is able to identify?
Disease in its earliest stages.
A type of imaging technology used in nuclear medicine is?
PET scan (stands for position emission tomography).
PET scans are used to obtain pictures of?
Metabolic (functional) activity within particular areas of the body.
How is a small dose of Radiotracer (radioactive substance) administered?
By intravenous injection.
The recommended waiting period is observed to allow the tracer to be?
Absorbed by the target tissues.
The PET scanner detects signals from?
The tracer.
A computer changes the signals into 3-D pictures and?
Displays the images on a monitor.
PET scanning is considered to be particularly useful in evaluating?
Lung, head, neck, colorectal, esophageal, lymphoma, melanoma, breast, thyroid and brain cancers.
Cancer cells have a much higher level of metabolic activity then normal cells which?
PET scans can detect that increased metabolic rate.
Does PET Scans help providers determine the extent, spread of disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment?
Yes.
Radiotracer (or tracer) is a compound make up of?
A radioactive isotope and a pharmaceutical agent.
