Are PET scan results accurate?
What is a PET Scan?
A type of nuclear medicine imaging, PET scan utilises radioactive substances called radiotracers to generate images of body function and metabolism. A unique camera and a computer is used to assess organ & tissue functions.
PET scan helps detect issues at the cellular level and may assist in identifying the early signs of disease before other imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scan.
Common imaging techniques like X-ray, CT scan & MRI showcase structural changes in the body, whereas a PET scan helps detect chemical & physiological changes.
A PET scan is generally used for:
- Examining brain function
- Diagnosing cancer, heart problems & brain disorders
- Checking blood flow to the heart
- Measuring oxygen usage and utilisation of sugar by the body
- Determining spread of cancer & monitoring response to therapy.
PET scans are particularly used to help doctors identify the precise location of cancer cells. Unlike a CT scan, a PET scan is able to detect live cancer tissue.
Types of PET Scan:
There are varying kinds of PET scans. The following are the most common types used:
- PET/CT Scan:
It’s a hybrid of imaging technology that combines PET and CT scans to generate 3D images that offer a much more accurate diagnosis. - PET f-18 FDG Scan:
It’s a glucose scan that is carried out immediately after a PET scan and is used to determine if the heart muscle has permanent damage. - Cardiac PET Scan:
It’s a type of cardiac molecular imaging which comprises injecting a radioactive label or tracer to circulate to the heart. This is followed by a heart scan that detects the signal of the tracer and creates a 3D image.
When should a PET Scan be done?
Doctors usually recommend a PET scan to:
- Detect cancer and/or make a diagnosis
- Ascertain whether a type of cancer has spread in the body
- Evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing treatment
- Figure out if a cancer has come back after treatment
- Assess prognosis
- Evaluate tissue metabolism & viability
- Ascertain the effects of a heart attack myocardial infarction on areas of the heart
- Recognise areas of the heart muscle that may need angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery (in combination with a myocardial perfusion scan)
- Assess brain abnormalities, like tumours, memory disorders, seizures & other central nervous system disorders
- Portray normal human brain & heart function
Are Pet Scan Results Accurate?
The accuracy level of a PET scan depends significantly on the reading skill of the radiologist. This is because interpreting the image generated by a PET scan is a challenging task. One of the reasons for this is the image resolution of nuclear medicine images such as those generated by a PET scan not being as high as that of a CT scan or MRI.
Nevertheless, the importance of nuclear medicine scans such as a PET scan lies in their better sensitivity for a wide array of indications. The functional information provided by a PET scan is usually unattainable with the help of other standard imaging techniques.
Among the many types of PET scans in existence today, a combination PET/CT scan is the most popular one as it generates 3D images that provide a more precise diagnosis. This hybrid scan is used for diagnosing & monitoring different kinds of cancer and is known to be highly accurate in diagnosing cancer than PET or CT scans on their own.
As per an article published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a whole body PET scan was seen to be more precise than conventional imaging (CI) in predicting the risk of recurrences in breast cancer patients.
Conclusion
PET scan is a hugely important diagnostic tool, particularly when it comes to diagnosing many types of cancer.
The important thing to keep in mind when getting a PET scan done is the quality of the infrastructure and personnel of the diagnostic centre or hospital. This is because the accuracy of a PET scan lies substantially in the hands of the radiologist interpreting the generated images.
Do you or any of your loved ones need to get a PET scan done?
We are pleased to announce that Clinico is opening a brand new diagnostic centre in Thane with all the scan related services under one roof, including a world-class PET scan facility!
Schedule your PET scan today by contacting us 24×7 on 9504555555.
