Radiology |
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PET/CT SCANNER
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) are both standard imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations.
The highly sensitive PET scan detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells in the body and the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the internal anatomy that reveals the location, size and shape of abnormal cancerous growths.
Alone, each imaging test has particular benefits and limitations but when the result of PET and CT scans are "fused" together, the combined image provides complete information on cancer location and metabolism.
The bottom line is that you can have both scans - PET and CT - done at the same time.
PET-CT is the fusion of functional and anatomic information acquired almost simultaneously that lets us see the body and disease in a way that is diagnostically very powerful. By combing the structural anatomic information with functional data, we are able to visualize form and function. An understanding of the normal and benign as well as the pitfalls and artifacts is essential to accurate interpretation.
For more information call: The Outpatient Diagnostic Center at (202) 269-7054/7055.
