Click here to download the Columbia Kreitchman PET Center brochure in English.
Presione aquí para bajar archivo en Español del Columbia Kreitchman PET Center.
 What is PET?
A powerful, non-invasive, diagnostic tool, positron emission tomography (PET) detects biochemical changes in body tissues. Virtually all diseases alter the body's biochemical processes. By detecting these changes, PET can provide diagnostic answers that cannot be reached using other imaging techniques. For example, CT and MRI reveal structural changes in the body. Before such structural changes take place, PET has the capability to identify the early biochemical markers of disease.
How Does PET Work?
Before undergoing a PET scan, patients receive an injection of a tracer, an imaging agent which the body easily absorbs and eliminates. The patient lies on a table that slides slowly through the scanner, which covers only a small portion of the body at a given time. By detecting the tracer in the patient, the PET scanner can create a color-coded image of the body's chemical function.
PET scans typically take approximately half an hour (cardiac cases take longer) and expose patients to a safe level of radiation. Most patients can return to their normal activities immediately following the scan. Specially-trained radiologists, such as the faculty of Columbia Kreitchman PET Center, read the PET scans and write up detailed reports explaining their findings. The referring physician then reviews those findings with the patient.
How Does PET Technology Help?
PET helps physicians to improve the accuracy of a diagnosis, create an individualized treatment plan, and closely monitor a patient's progress, by providing:
- More detailed diagnostic information than other imaging techniques
- Shorter timeframe to reach a definitive diagnosis-resulting in fewer invasive diagnostic procedures and fewer unwarranted surgeries
- Precise staging of disease, including early identification of recurrences
According to Ronald L. Van Heertum, MD, Director, Morton A. Kreitchman PET Center, and Professor of Radiology and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, "PET is revolutionizing the fields of oncology (cancer), cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry, with a major impact on patient management."
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Breast lesions appear as dark spots in the original scan (above, left). Eighteen months later, following treatment, no evidence of breast cancer remains (above, right). Note: The darkened sections in the lower body correspond with natural digestive processes. |
Click here to download the Columbia Kreitchman PET Center brochure in English.
Presione aquí para bajar archivo en Español del Columbia Kreitchman PET Center.
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Patients
