| Imaging technology is a great modern method of | | | | assembles the data into a 3D image. The image |
| learning what is happening inside a person 's body, but | | | | obtained will show where the radioactive material has |
| without needing to cut into the body in order to find out. | | | | accumulated. |
| MRI and ultrasound look into the body, X-rays an CAT | | | | Generally, PET scans are mostly used to detect |
| scans look through the body, while nuclear imaging | | | | cancer. The radioactive atoms are used to make |
| uses information that starts inside. PET stands for | | | | sugar molecules that are injected into the body. This |
| positron emission tomography, and is one example of | | | | way, the radiation will be higher in regions of the body |
| a nuclear imaging technique. | | | | that metabolize the sugar faster. Because metabolic |
| PET produces images by looking at radiation given off | | | | rates are higher in cancer cells than in the normal cells |
| by radioactive atoms. Radioactive atoms of many | | | | around them, PET scans are a great tool in detecting |
| elements can be made in large particle accelerators, | | | | tumors. |
| which cause atoms to smash together at nearly the | | | | However, detecting cancer is not the sole use of PET |
| speed of light. When these radioactive atoms break | | | | scans. Other uses include tracing the flow of blood |
| apart, they emit radiation that can be easily detected. | | | | through the system to detect areas of impaired flow, |
| For PET scans, the patient is injected with certain | | | | as well as detected areas of the brain that are not |
| compounds obtained from radioactive carbon, fluorine, | | | | functioning properly. Research of the normal function |
| oxygen or nitrogen atoms. The patient is placed in a | | | | of the brain also uses PET scans, because the scan |
| tubular scanner, that converts the radiation emitted into | | | | shows which parts of the brain are most active as the |
| electronic signals. The scanner moves back and forth | | | | research subject performs a particular task. |
| around the are of interest, and then a computer | | | | |