PET Scan and PET-CT Fusion
 PET scan, or Positron Emission Tomography, is a
powerful tool for detecting several types of cancer. It is useful
for the accurate detection of cancer spread in patients with an
established diagnosis of cancer, or for the noninvasive evaluation of
nodules detected by chest x-ray or CT. PET works by having the
ability to detect sites of high metabolic activity. Since many
cancers have significantly higher metabolism than normal tissues or
noncancerous masses, PET allows sensitive detection of even small
cancers.
PET-CT Fusion is a newer refinement of the technique
that allows the most accurate correlation of anatomic information (from
the CT) and metabolic information (from the PET scan) and helps to
ensure the highest degree of accuracy for the exam.
These
images demonstrate the power of PET-CT Fusion in identifying spread of
tumor, in this case, spread of melanoma to a patient's liver. PET and PET-CT
Fusion are performed by SDI radiologists at St. Joseph's Diagnostic
Center. For more information about PET,
see
PETscan.org
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