PET-CT

PET-CT is an advanced imaging method created by combining positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT).

The PET-CT device is helpful for early diagnosis and treatment planning in cases such as:

• Cancer

• Undiagnosed conditions

• Infections

• Heart diseases

• Brain disorders

• Differentiation of Alzheimer's and dementia

PET-CT in Oncology

In oncological diseases, PET-CT is used for early diagnosis of cancer, treatment planning, staging, detection of recurrences, identification of metastases, planning of radiotherapy, and evaluation of treatment success.

The cancer types in which PET-CT is most effective are:

• Lung Cancer

• Breast Cancer

• Thyroid Cancer

• Head and Neck Cancers

• Colorectal Cancers

• Esophageal Cancer

• Stomach Cancer

• Gynecologic Cancers

• Bladder Cancer

• Prostate Cancer

• Lymphoma

• Melanoma

PET-CT in Heart Diseases

PET-CT plays a role in identifying areas with reduced blood flow caused by coronary artery blockages. Identifying these areas is important in determining whether angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery would be beneficial.

PET-CT in Brain Diseases

PET-CT technology can be used to detect brain tumors, seizures, and to diagnose Alzheimer's and dementia.

What Are the Advantages of PET-CT?

Generally, doctors identify and diagnose diseases by overlaying the results of separate PET and CT scans. However, for these two separate scans, the patient must be positioned in exactly the same way. Since achieving this is not always easy, the accuracy of diagnostic information may be compromised.

The PET-CT device, on the other hand, allows doctors to perform both scans quickly in a single session without having to move the patient. Thus, the metabolic data obtained by the PET scan and the anatomical data provided by CT are acquired simultaneously from a single device, providing more detailed and accurate information than other imaging methods.

Benefits for Our Patients

• High Resolution

The PET-CT device at our hospital serves our patients with the highest-resolution images in the industry, at a 400x400 matrix reconstruction with 95 mm3. Thus, even the smallest details that cannot be seen with other devices can be detected, contributing to the diagnostic and treatment process and helping to prevent unnecessary surgical procedures and biopsies.

• Wider gantry

Our device, designed with overweight and obese patients in mind, has a gantry that is 24 percent wider than those of other manufacturers. The wider space is also an advantage for people with claustrophobia.

• Low radiation, high speed

Our PET-CT device, which operates with a lower radiation dose, enhances patient comfort while also scanning the entire body at maximum speed and with precision, detecting abnormalities such as cancerous cells and their locations.

• Diagnosis with less radioactive material

Compared with other devices, scans can be performed by obtaining high-resolution images using a lower dose of radioactive material administered through a vein.

How Does PET-CT Work?

The step-by-step process during the scan is as follows:

• Fasting for 6 hours is required before the PET-CT scan.

• The patient's blood sugar is measured. For the scan, blood sugar must be below the desired limit.

• A radioactively labeled sugar molecule, which is absorbed by cells, is injected into the body through a vein.

• The patient waits approximately 1 hour for the drug to be retained in the cells.

• The patient is taken into the PET-CT device and imaging begins.

• Detailed 3-dimensional images of the body are taken with the help of X-ray.

• Sugar molecules accumulated in abnormal structures or cancerous cells are easily distinguished thanks to their bright images.

• The scan takes 20-25 minutes, depending on the area being imaged.

The Process After PET-CT

The radiation received during PET-CT is excreted in urine. For this reason, it is recommended to drink plenty of water, especially on the day of the scan, and to flush the toilet several times after urinating.

On the other hand, although the radiation received during the procedure poses no risk to those around you, it is recommended to avoid prolonged contact for 12 hours with young children and pregnant women, who are in the group at risk from radiation.