PET Scans – Useful in Treating Many Ailments

This advanced technology is not available everywhere though. The best hospitals in world provide this facility due to high costs. PET scans stand for Position Emission Tomography scan which perform the essential imaging function and it provides immense usefulness in detecting many fatal diseases like cancer. It determines the spread of tumor cells. It maps the functioning of brain and heart by analyzing the blood flow in these parts and help in the study and evaluation of myocardial infarction & ischemia effect on the patients after they undergo cardiac surgery. It also helps in determining the management protocols for the brain abnormality, central nervous system disorder and even seizures.

PET and CT scans are different from MRI in functionalities. PET Scans and CT scan is very influential in determining the spread and extent of malignancies when we compare them with full body MRIs. MRI provides the view of our internal organs in 3D formats but PET and CT scan combines the capability of nuclear imaging and also shows the internal organ’s functional attribute. The doctors get helped in the determination and staging of malignancies.

During performing PET scans, a radiotracer, which is a radioactive matter, is inserted in the body and it gets accumulated around affected organs for examining purpose. The traces emit some gamma rays on the area and provide the details of the organ which is affected with its metabolic and chemical activities. The metabolic activity determines the concentration of the radioactive matter and it helps in identifying and staging of the exact tumor location.

PET Scans are very helpful in diagnosing some serious diseases and are very expansive. In the world, many countries have different rates of performing this type of scan. A full body CT scan costs one-third in the international medical tourism destination than what it costs in the countries like USA and UK. Many people needing PET scan come to these countries to save the money.