PET/CT: Preparation Guidelines
PET/CT: Preparation Guidelines | Insurance Reimbursement | Form | Frequently Asked Questions
Preparation for Whole Body PET/CT
When making the appointment for your exam, please inform the scheduler if you are diabetic or taking steroids (except inhalers) for specific instructions.
For all PET/CT exams (Whole Body and Brain):
- You should not excercise or participate in strenuous physical activity for 24 to 48 hours prior to your appointment.
- You may not have anything to eat or drink for 6-7 hours prior to your appointment (except water up until 2 hours before your scheduled arrival time). This includes coffee, tea, sugarless and regular gum, breath mints, hard candy, etc.
- Wear warm, comfortable clothing. The exam rooms are kept cool so you may want to bring a button down sweater or jacket that can be removed easily.
- On the day of the exam, please bring with you a list of medications you are taking as well as a list of previous surgeries you have had for comparison to the PET/CT scan. This includes your most recent MRI and CT scans and previous PET/CT scans. Please bring the reports if you have them or ask your physician's staff to fax them to us at (212) 734-5832. Please inform the staff member scheduling your appointment if you have any special needs such as assistance walking, use of a wheelchair, oxygen, etc.
THE EXAM
The way we do your Whole Body PET/CT Scan depends on what your doctor specifically orders. If you are having oral and I.V. contrast, we will do the following:
Once you arrive at our facility and have registered, the technologist or nurse will check your blood sugar. The results must be in a specific range in order to get a good scan. Once your blood sugar has been measured (easily done with a finger stick), you will be given oral contrast to drink within a short period of time. One hour later you will be brought to a quiet room for the next part of the procedure. You will be been screened by the technologist as to your medical and allergy history, then an intravenous catheter will be placed in a vein. The PET injection will be given to you at this time. It contains a small amount of radioactive glucose, a simple sugar (also called FDG) that is slowly absorbed by your body. There are no side effects from this injection so you will not feel any different once you have received it. You will be asked to rest for approximately one hour after the FDG is administered. Because the substance in the injection is a simple sugar, it is "taken up" by all the tissues in the body. By resting quietly during this uptake period, we get a more even distribution of this "tracer" which leads to a more accurate scan. To facilitate relaxation, a comfortable recliner, dim lights and blankets are available at this time. After the rest period is over you will be asked to change your clothing and use the restroom. Once you have done so, the technologist will give you approximately one half cup of oral contrast to drink, and then we begin the scan.
The CT portion of the PET/CT will be done first. You will be asked to lie still and follow breathing instructions for several sets of images. The injection of intravenous contrast will be given during the CT scan, through the same I.V. catheter that is already in place. When the CT part of the scan is completed, the catheter will be removed. It only takes a few minutes for this first part of the PET/CT. The PET scan is done immediately after the CT on the same imaging table and takes 15 minutes or less for most patients. You will be asked to hold still and breathe normally during the PET portion of the scan.
If you are having a Whole Body PET/CT Scan without contrast (oral and/or I.V.), the procedure is the same as above except you will only receive the FDG (radioactive glucose) injection, not the iodinated contrast. The scans take approximately the same amount of time.
BRAIN PET/CT
Preparation for the exam is the same as Whole Body PET/CT. There is no oral contrast given for this exam. Brain PET/CT scans are without intravenous contrast, however, for certain indications, your doctor may request the exam be done with it. Either way, the procedure is done much like the Whole Body PET/CT, but the brain is imaged rather than the body.
AFTER THE PROCEDURE
Once the images are complete you may leave the facility and resume your normal diet and routine. The technologist or nurse will encourage you to drink plenty of water to "flush" the contrast you were given out of your system.
Special instructions will be given to diabetic patients once their exam is done.
The results of your test, along with any images you brought in will be sent to your referring doctor. In most cases it takes less than 2-3 business days.
