POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) SCAN

A Positron Emission Tomography or PET scan is a diagnostic tool that allows medical professionals to
examine and gain information about the activity of different parts of the body. A PET scan provides data
on all the major components of the body. It is primarily used in verifying the existence and severity of
cancers, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular diseases. A PET scan studies a body’s chemistry.
Most common medical tests, like CT or MRI scans, only show details about the structure of the body. A
PET scan shows a more detailed and accurate information about the function of the body.

A PET scan is conducted by injecting the patient with a “tracer”, which is a chemical formulated to create
an artificial source of glucose. Glucose is a sugar-based chemical that is a primary source of energy for
the brain and other organs of the body, where carbohydrates are heavily made up of this chemical. The
chemical is called FDG, which stands for fluorine 18-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose. Once injected the tracer
will travel to the areas where the masked glucose is needed most, there it will break down and release
the positron. Positrons have alike characteristics with electrons, where, positrons have a positive charge,
although, electrons have a negative charge. Through this chemical reaction, an electron and the positron
collide and generate electromagnetic radiation in the form of gamma rays. The chemical reaction results
in the emission of an alpha particle:

These waves are then identified by the PET scanner that converts this electromagnetic energy to
electrical signals, which then can be interpreted by the corresponding computer. The computer then
displays the image where the tracer is absorbed the most; this is mainly the prime functional organs.

The computer then indicates this through the use of contrast and colours, highlighting darker areas to
represent cancerous areas.

The PET scan procedure starts with the patient fasting 4-6 hours before the examination begins; this is
to ensure that the tracer will not be disrupted by any food that is consumed. The patient then will be
injected with the tracer, and be made to rest for an hour for the tracer to metabolise with the body.
After the tracer has been absorbed the scanning takes place, the patient must lie still during the

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scanning process. After the scan, the radiologist will take up to two to three days to infer on, make a
statement on and then send the results to the GP of the patient. The PET scan is used for the study of
the human body. In cancers, PET scan can determine benign from malignant tumours, prove whether or
not treatment therapies are effective. In the brain, it can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease for early
radiation treatment; trace tumours in the brain and accurately assess the position of the tumour for
delicate brain surgery. Establish the focus of seizures for patients with epilepsy. In the heart, it calculates
the extent of heart disease and concludes if the heart will benefit from surgery.

PET scans are used for early detection because it can accurately distinguish a tumour as benign or
malignant, in so doing, avoiding surgery, when the results are negative. On the other hand, the PET scan
can pinpoint exactly where the tumour is, and give the medical professions the edge of operating easier
on the patient. PET scan is very responsive in determining the complete size of the disease, whether it is
lymphoma, malignant melanoma, breast, lung, colon, or cervical cancers. With this aid, the doctors can
then consider which the best option is in destroying the cancer. It assesses the effectiveness of the
chemotherapy, the scan will show that if the tumour has changed in size, giving the doctors an answer
on how the chemotherapy is making progress. A few months after the surgery, doctors can also see if
there are any reoccurrences with the tumour through the scan.

The concept of emission and transmission of radiation technology was introduced by David Kuhl and Roy
Edwards in the late 1950’s. The first commercial use of the PET scan was introduced in 1975. During the
1970’s and 1980’s, the PET scan was used for research purposes only. During the early 1990’s the
imaging technique was introduced into hospitals, clinics and specialist centres, as the medical
community around the world began to realise and witness the sophistication of the PET scan. The
technological advancements that have taken place to create a better PET scan have been the evolution
of imaging. In the 1980’s, PET scans had used to employ digital coincidence to display the patient’s
results, but now this has changed to 3-D imaging which gives a more comprehensive display of the
patient’s results. Old PET scans had utilised only one detector ring to display images, but now modern
PET scans use multiple detector rings to enhance the image to a 3-D representation. As the PET scan
became a vital tool in imaging, technicians and software engineers found a way to make the equipment
computerised. This development has made it easier for medical professionals to undertake this
procedure without much complexity, thus making the process less expensive. Techneticum-99m is a
very commonly used radioisotope. It has a half-life of 6 hours and is produced through the decay of the
radioisotope molybdenum-99, which is created in nuclear reactors. Through further research and testing
fluorine 18-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose was introduced. This synthetic chemical has a half-life of only 110
minutes; this is a dramatic improvement in the efficiency conducting the procedure at a faster time. But
the most advancement of the PET scan came in the 2000’s; technicians have combined the CT
machinery and the PET machinery into one scanner. This technology produces state of the art imaging,
displaying accurate images of both the anatomical and biochemical structures of the body.

Positron Emission Tomography is valuable as they demonstrate the biochemical changes in the body,
whereas a CT or a MRI scan only identifies anatomical changes; which is the structure of the body. A PET
scan therefore helps to recognise problems at the level of their activity and function, which might
change long before any changes in the body structure; such as a tumour, become apparent. This allows

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for earlier diagnosis and better effective treatment of cancers, and enhanced imaging of other
conditions of the body. There is minute risk in the involved in the admission of the tracer, as the tracer
has a short decay time of a couple of hours and is quickly absorbed by the body. Thus the patient is not
exposed to any amount of radiation by the process, unlike a CT scan that exposes the patient to a
certain degree of radiation.

The PET scan has brought many medical advantages to society. As mentioned before, the PET scan gives
a detailed image of the body’s biochemical structure. The examination gives a detailed representation
whether there is any sign of tumours or any other medical setbacks. The impact this has had on society
is now doctors and specialists can gain a clearer image of the patient and diagnose them with the
correct treatment. Using a PET scan, there is an 86% chance of finding a tumour than a MRI, with 34%. It
does not put the patient’s life at risk because of the chemical that is used in the tracer. This technology
has saved numerous amounts of lives through the early detection of its results. The impact on the
environment is very low, as the scientists who have advanced this technology have considered very hard
in finding ways to benefit patients, and cause minimal effect on patients and the environment. However,
there is one impact where scientists must remove the waste they create from formulating the chemical
tracer in the nuclear reactors. This poses some threat on the environment, as the waste is radioactive
and takes a long time to eradicate, due to the half-life the chemical waste possesses. The scientists have
come with an idea to lower the amount they use. The scientists only use half of the chemical and then
see whether the patient needs more. Overall, the PET scan does not cause immediate and dangerous
effects.

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