Definition: PET scan stands for "positron emission tomography."
This is a type of medical imaging that uses a small amount of a radioactive chemical that is absorbed by specific kinds of body tissue such as cancers or other particular structures. The chemical is injected and time is allowed for the chemical to be absorbed. Then the patient is placed next to a special set of detectors that sense the location of the chemical. The image that results can give information about the presence and location of cancer cells or other features.
This is a type of medical imaging that uses a small amount of a radioactive chemical that is absorbed by specific kinds of body tissue such as cancers or other particular structures. The chemical is injected and time is allowed for the chemical to be absorbed. Then the patient is placed next to a special set of detectors that sense the location of the chemical. The image that results can give information about the presence and location of cancer cells or other features.
Pronunciation: pet scan (as in pet dog)
Also Known As: positron emission tomography
Common Misspellings: PT scan
Examples:
Sometimes a PET scan and a CT scan are performed at the same time in the same machine. In this way, the images produced by both kinds of scans can be aligned to give better information than either image by itself.
