Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
ECT (Emission Computed Tomography), PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan
What To Think About
- Access to PET scans is very limited in Canada and regulated by provincial health plans. Most provincial health plans cover PET scans only for some cancer patients. Use of PET for other diseases, such as ones that affect the brain and heart, is expanding in Canada but is not yet covered by most provincial health plans. Special requests to get a PET scan can be made on your behalf through your local provincial health insurance plan.
- The radioactive tracer may be passed to a baby through breast milk. Talk to your doctor if you are breast-feeding and need to have a PET scan.
- A CT scan and PET scan may be done at the same time.
- Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is a method that may be used to see whether a person with chest pain is at high risk for a heart attack. SPECT imaging also may be done with cardiac stress testing to check for coronary artery disease (CAD) or to choose the best treatment for it.1
- You may not be able to have a PET scan if you have recently had surgery, a biopsy, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS | Last Updated: November 12, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology | |
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| Topic Contents | |
| Test Overview | |
| Why It Is Done | |
| How To Prepare | |
| How It Is Done | |
| How It Feels | |
| Risks | |
| Results | |
| What Affects the Test | |
 | What To Think About |
| References | |
| Credits | |