Preparing for a PET-CT Scan

PET-CT scans are simple and painless. Patients are administered a small amount of a short-lived radioactive material that resembles a naturally occurring sugar used by the body. This material is then detected by the PET-CT scanner, which shows, in detail, the location of any disease by indicating areas that are taking up an abnormal amount of the sugar.

For the exam, the patient is transported through the PET-CT system, where the anatomically detailed information obtained from a CT scan is merged with the biological function recorded by the PET scanner to form not merely a photograph, but a biograph-an image that records living tissues and life processes.

When preparing for a PET-CT scan, you should:

• If you are a diabetic, please bring your medication. Make sure our staff is aware of your condition ahead of time. If you take insulin to control your diabetes, you will be scheduled for an early morning appointment, due to the fact that you must not take your insulin the morning of your exam.
• Take no food or drink for 6 hours before your procedure, with the exception of water.
• Avoid strenuous activities on the day before and day of your PET-CT exam. Excessive muscular activity may interfere with the interpretation of your exam.
• Please refrain from chewing gum as it may interfere with the results.
• Wear comfortable clothes, free of metal zippers, snaps, etc.
• Remove all jewelry, hair pins and clips prior to your exam.

When you arrive at NYU Medical at Columbus, come to the Radiology reception area located on the first floor. We ask that you plan to arrive a little early. You will be asked to change in the private area reserved for PET/CT and MRI patients and then have an angiocath placed into a vein in your arm for ease of injection. You will be injected with a small amount of a radiopharmaceutical through this IV line and then asked to wait quietly in a private room for 45 minutes. It is important that you relax and rest during this time to allow the radiopharmaceutical to properly distribute throughout your body. We will then proceed with scan, which will take 15 to 30 minutes.

After the Scan

You may leave as soon as the scan is complete. Unless you've received special instructions, you can eat and drink immediately. Increasing your fluid intake soon after the exam will assist in removing any residual radiopharmaceutical in your system.

The radiopharmaceuticals used during your scan do not remain in your system long, so there's no reason to avoid interacting with others. However, we advise that you wait for a few hours before getting too close to an infant or anyone who is pregnant.

Results will be sent to your ordering physician. You are encouraged to pre-register at the time you make your appointment and to check with your insurance company about coverage and approval in advance.