PET/CT scan
PET/CT whole body scans are used to look for disease, inflammation or infection in your body.
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What is it for?
To identify physiological changes in your body
Overview
How does it work?
The PET (positron emission tomography) identifies physiological changes in your body. The CT scan shows the bodies’ structure.
Combining the two scans together gives a more accurate picture of disease or infection in your body.
Important points before your scan
Please inform the department if you are diabetic and give as much information to the scanning department as possible to make your scan easier. If you have recently had a radiology examination at another hospital such as CT, MRI or a nuclear medicine study, it would be helpful if you would bring these results with you
Please do not eat for six hours before your test. This includes tea, coffee, milk, sweets, cough medicine, fruit juice, and alcohol.
Do not have any cough medicine, or any oral preparation for any other tests, glucose drips, TPN (Total Parenternal Nutrition) or insulin for 6 hours before the test.
- Do not exercise before your test
- Do not have a barium test 10 days before your test
Unless indicated by your consultant, you should not have chemotherapy for 10 days or radiotherapy for three months before your scan.
If you are unsure about any medications you are taking please inform the department the day before your test.
Why choose The London Clinic
Excellence in one place
We operate as teams of experts with world-class resources dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of medical care. You are surrounded by the latest treatments and advice with everything you need to get back to your best health.
Personal care, every time
Exceptional patient care is a way of life for us. Our nurses, clinicians and support teams are dedicated to the care of a very small number of patients, so have more time for you. They’ll be with you every step of the way, tailoring your care around you and giving the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing you’re in the best hands.
Effortlessly simple
We work together as one to guide you through each step of your experience, with complexities unravelled and answers readily to hand. Your personal treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
What's included in your package?
Choosing The London Clinic means your treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
Your treatment package will include:
- Enhanced pre-admission assessment
- Your treatment with our complete care team at your fingertips
- Personalised aftercare and follow-up
We want you to be in control of your health. That’s why we also offer optional services such as comprehensive recovery packages and extra touches for you to choose from during your stay with us.
How to pay
- You can use private medical insurance (PMI) to access this treatment. We work with all major PMI providers in the UK and many internationally
- You can pay for yourself (self-pay)
- If you’re paying for yourself, we have finance options available with Chrysalis
FAQs
Before the scan a technologist will explain the procedure, give you an opportunity to ask any questions and go through a checklist of questions.
They will then put a cannula in a small vein in your arm. After measuring your blood sugar levels the technologist will inject a small amount of radioactive sugar (18F FDG) into a vein in your arm. The injection will not make you feel any different or have any side effects.
You must then wait for one hour in our comfortable PET/CT uptake room. During this time it is important that you are as relaxed as possible and warm. You cannot read or listen to music during the hour. Please note you must wait in the uptake room for one hour without a relative, friend or carer. If this is not possible please inform the department before your test so we can accommodate you.
After the hour we will ask you to lie on your back on the scanning table. Again, depending on the indications for performing your test, the scan will take between 20 minutes and 45 minutes. Most scans are approximately 20 minutes.
After the test the technologist will check the quality of the scan and let you know when you are free to leave. Please allow approximately 2.5 hours for your appointment.
There are no immediate side effects. You are radioactive for six hours in total. The amount of radioactivity injected is relatively small and has a half-life of 110 minutes. Most of it is passed out through the kidneys.
We advise you to stay away from young children and pregnant women for four hours after you leave the department. You can eat, drink and travel as normal after the test. The test is quite safe except for a possible effect on the baby in pregnant women. The test is not advised if you are pregnant or are breast feeding.