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PET is an abbreviation for Positron Emission Tomography and is performed in the Nuclear Medicine department. It involves the use of a radioactive substance called F18-FDG (Fluorodeoxyglucose) which traces metabolic activity. The molecular and/or metabolic information provides an essential contribution to the diagnosis, evaluation and prognosis of the disease.
This has impacted effective patient management.
F18-FDG is produced in a cyclotron in Pretoria on the morning of the examination and is dispatched at 3.30 am to the airport. It usually arrives in Durban at about 8:00 am and is brought by a courier service to Westridge.
CT is an abbreviation for Computerised Tomography and involves the use of X-rays which are produced in the scanner and provides anatomical information. The PET/CT scan is a Nuclear Medicine examination with the added benefit of CT. This helps us to accurately locate the abnormal areas of FDG uptake.
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The advantages of combining PET and CT include its superior lesion localisation inaccurate anatomical/functional registration; a better distinction between physiological uptake and pathological uptake; consolidation of functional and anatomical imaging; and a benefit in shorter total scan time enhancing patient comfort and minimizing issues with claustrophobia and movement. The average radiation dosimetry for 350MBq is 7mSv for PET (FDG) and 3-5mSv for the low dose CT component. (Poeppel et al., 2009)