Positron Emission Tomography is still quite a new form of medical imaging and currently usually only central big city hospitals have PET scanners.

It uses radioactive markers which release positron radiation.

Positrons being antimatter are very quickly destroyed by them meeting electrons and the result from this annihilation is gamma radiation.

The gamma radiation is then what is detected by our scanner.

In this video we look at the classic example of a PET marker, which is fluorodeoxyglucose.

This marker is taken up intensely by cancer cells and therefore the sites of highest radioactivity within the body are those were cancer is found.

Usually a CT scan is performed alongside the PET (we call this PET/CT) and this gives us 3D imaging of the entire body with bits highlighted that are strongly releasing the gamma radiation.

This is very helpful in the diagnosis of cancer, which at present is the main use of PET imaging.

свернуть