PET Scan Essay

1964 Words4 Pages

Why is a PET Scan Important?
A PET scan is a very crucial medical and research tool that has revolutionized the administration of health care to the sick. This form of imaging will always show images of changing functional processes of the body before any other scan such as CT or MRI. This type of scan has been very useful to clinical oncologists who deal with mild to complicated brain conditions. This scan helps oncologists to map the behavior and functioning of the human brain while also registering any alteration that might affect its physiology. The brain scan uses a glucose analog tracer, which is phosphorylated by hexokinase after being consumed by glucose-using cells. Hexokinase is mostly found in malignant tumors that are growing rapidly. …show more content…

The PET scan allows for the analysis of brain activity through a check on the blood and glucose flow as the two processes work in tandem. The PET scans have been carried out using different radiotracers that allow for the visualization of different neuropsychiatric and neurologic illnesses. Neuroimaging allows for the identification and differentiation of various brain conditions. For instance, the neuroimaging can differentiate between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. On that note, PET scan can be used by psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and radio surgeons.
Cardiology and Infectious Diseases
PET scans are very imperative when it comes to the study of cardiovascular diseases, especially atherosclerosis, which can be tested using an 18-F fluoride emission (Joshi et al., 2014). However, the cost-effectiveness of the PET scan is in doubt when compared to other tomographies. The imaging of infections allows for the improvement of treatment follow-up and diagnosis. Through the use of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), physicians have been able to image bacterial infections, which allow them to detect inflammatory responses. The mapping of bacterial infections in vivo has improved the treatment of infectious diseases.

More about PET Scan Essay

Open Document