PET-CT imaging

The PET-CT (positron emission tomography-computed tomography) system is effective for diagnosing the patient’s disease, including evaluating disease progression, assessing treatment effectiveness, determining disease recurrence, and monitoring the condition.

By combining both PET and CT technologies, the system offers very high diagnostic accuracy and helps the physician deliver precision care.

PET-CT diagnostics are used most often to determine if a patient has cancer. The procedure is also beneficial for diagnosing infectious or inflammatory diseases that can be difficult to diagnose using other imaging systems.

How PET-CT imaging is performed

Before the scan, the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive material. Certain cells, such as cancer cells, are more likely to absorb the material than healthy cells. The PET scan shows where the radioactive material is in the body, which indicates where the cancer or other condition resides.

For the CT portion of the scan, the patient receives contrast dye via injection or drinkable liquid. The CT captures X-ray images of the body from different angles, and the dye helps some details show up more clearly. A computer system then combines the PET and CT images to provide a 3D view, which helps the physician identify abnormal tissues, such as tumors.

Advanced PET-CT imaging technology

Assuta’s PET-CT devices are among the most progressive in medicine, with very low levels of radiation. The images enable clinicians to view in grayscale both hard tissues (such as bones) and soft tissues. Some of the common areas of the body evaluated via PET-CT are the digestive system, blood vessels, and the urinary system.