A PET scan is something which not only gives images of a human body but it also shows that how the body is working. This is also the short form of positron emission topography and this test mainly provides all the information about the blood flow in the human body and how well it is using the sugar and oxygen. This gives some very important clues to the doctors about the disease the patient is suffering from.

When a PET ct scan is prescribed by the doctor, one can easily check for PET CT scan cost in Bangalore. During the time of the test, the doctor first gives the patient a kind of radioactive substance which is also known as the radio tracer. This tracer actually gives off the radiation and then, the PET CT machine actually picks it up. These images actually get to show where the tracer goes inside the body. If the tracer gets build up in certain areas then it can be a sign that there is a formation of disease.

Why one needs a PET scan?

The doctor mainly prescribes the test to the patient to get to know more details about a particular disease or get an idea on when to prepare the patient for a surgery and then see how well and successful the treatment is going. This test can be done for several reasons but this test is mainly used when the patient has any kind of cancer, brain diseases or heart issues.

The doctor can go for a PET scan in order to see:

·         If the patient has cancer.

·         If the cancer has spread in the body.

·         Whether the cancer has come back again after the treatment is done.

When one has a heart disease, then a PET scan is done to find out:

·         If there is proper blood flow in the heart muscles.

·         What can be the best treatment in case of clogged arteries?

·         What have been the effects of a heart attack?

When the doctor wants to check the brain condition of the patient they can often ask for a PET scan. What they look for are:

·         Alzheimer’s disease

·         Seizures

·         Parkinson’s disease

·         Tumours

·         Stroke

How Do PET Scans differ from CT and MRI Scans?

Well, this is a very obvious question that one can think about. Doctors keep on prescribing imaging tests on different reasons.  They mainly start from X ray because it is a very quick way to get all the information which are basic. But if one needs some more and finer details then the doctor needs to run a CT scan on the patient. Or else they can also go for an MRI scan. There are many doctors who can actually use MRI and PET CT together with hybrid scanners and here it combines 2 tools with a single scan. This can help the doctor to perform either the CT scan or an MRI along with the combination of PET scan together. The PET scan mainly shows what exactly is happening in the body cells. This is the major reason why PET scan is done and it is needed because in case of many diseases there are not many changes seen in the body when one performs a CT or an MRI scan. But a PET scan always helps in detecting the disease at a very early stage. So, for the doctors it becomes easier to diagnose the disease.

If one has been prescribed for a PET scan, then the patient needs to inform the doctor if they have:

·         Allergies, especially to contrast dye, iodine, or seafood

·         Health issues like diabetes, or any illnesses which one has suffered from recently

·         Medicines, herbs, and supplements that one intakes

When the patient is a woman, they need to tell the doctor if:

·         They are breast feeding. This is because they might need to pump some milk out or they cannot breast feed till the tracer goes out of the body. so, the doctor can only tell the time till the mother needs to wait before breast feeding her child again after taking the test.

·         If they think they are pregnant or will soon be pregnant. This is because; the tracer can actually harm the baby inside and so the doctor needs to know that to prevent it.

When the doctor prescribes a PET CT scan to a patient they often give them some specific directions. One might need to avoid intense physical activity for at least 24 hours before the test. The patient can only drink water and they need to avoid food intake for a couple of hours before the test begins.

When the patient enters the test area then they need to remove all kinds of jewellery, piercings and other metal objects from the body. Then they need to change into a loose hospital gown. Once the change is done, the patient will need the tracer. Depending on the type, one can either swallow the tracer or breathe it inside. One can also get it through the needle. After that, the patient needs to stay for at least 30 minutes to absorb the tracer.

For PET scan in Bangalore, one needs to lie down still on their back when the machine starts and the images are being taken. The test can take at least an hour to complete. If the patient has fear from closed and tight spaces then the doctor may prescribe them some medicine which can work as a relaxer and help them to calm them down. This scan is actually painless but sometimes the patient may feel discomfort due to lying stiffly for a long time.

When the scan is over, one needs to drink plenty of fluid so that they can flush out the tracer from the body. but it is a good idea to keep away these tracers from the babies as they can get affected from it badly.