PET (positron emission tomography) does not differ in principle from the other nuclear medicine procedures (scintigraphy, SPECT). Here, too, the patient receives a radioactive substance (radiopharmaceutical) and is examined with the PET scanner after a certain enrichment phase. The special feature of PET results from the decay type of the radioisotopes used, the so-called “positron emitters”: these have particularly favorable physical properties for measurement and imaging, which is why they achieve a higher spatial resolution compared to the other nuclear medicine procedures, which means that even very small lesions in the organism can be detected.
In computed tomography (CT), many X-ray images of an object are taken from different directions; so-called “sectional images” are subsequently reconstructed from the acquired volume on the basis of these images. Computed tomography is only used in exact compliance with radiation protection and when the examination is clinically necessary.
You will need: Assignment (detailed brief), previous images/findings, completed questionnaires. You are not allowed to take any food 12 hours before the examination (water, medications are allowed).
The examinations consist of three phases: In the preparatory phase, the radioactive substance is prepared specifically for each patient and then administered (mostly intravenously).
The technical phase includes the performance of scintigraphy, SPECT or PET measurement, including image evaluation. The information phase (specialist diagnosis) concludes the procedure.
You receive a minimal amount of a radioactive substance (radiopharmaceutical) with a short half-life. After 20 -240 minutes, this is sufficiently enriched in the target organ and the examination can be performed.
These examinations are provided as private services. This means that they will not be billed directly to the health insurance company, but will be billed directly to you in the form of a fee invoice.
