The Positron Emission Tomography scan can create whole-body images of physiological processes. If you live near Burbank, CA and need a full body PET scan, it is usually ordered by your doctor, though you may get an order for one after being in the hospital. Sometimes, the PET scan also includes a CT scan. While the PET scan focuses on physiological processes, the CT scan focuses on anatomy. When both scans are done together, it gives the doctor a better idea of what’s going on inside the patient’s body..
Spots Issues Sooner
For many diseases, cancer among them, the PET can determine if there are any changes in your physiology up to a year before other scans could. MRIs and CT scans detect anatomy changes, and many diseases take longer to show up in the body than in the cellular walls.
Therefore, when you can determine the cause of the illness or find the disease sooner, you can start treating it sooner. Many times, cancer patients have a better chance at remission when they catch the signs and get treatment fast.
What to Look For
If you have been asked to get a PET scan by your doctor or specialist, you may wonder where to go. There are seemingly endless imaging centers near Burbank, CA, which makes it harder to decide.
If your doctor doesn’t specify, you may do well to get a PET/CT scan together; doing it all at once ensures that the exam takes less time. Along with that, your doctor can use the CT information as well, which could help them diagnose your problem more accurately.
While some people prefer to wait and seek out a different type of diagnostic imaging test, some may be more invasive. The PET scan does use radioactive tracers which may be injected into the veins, but they are less invasive than many other testing options. For more visit Glendale MRI.
