What
should I do to prepare for the exam?
Wear comfortable clothes and leave valuables at home.
Take any prescribed medication on the day of the exam unless instructed otherwise by your
physician.
Depending on the type of exam, you will be instructed not to eat or drink anything except
for water for 4 to 6 hours prior to the study. This is due to the fact that results of the
test are affected by your blood sugar.
It is important to be well hydrated for the test, so drink water the day before and the
day of your exam. You may drink water up until your appointment time.
DO NOT perform any heavy lifting or exercise the day before your exam and especially not
on the day of your exam.
If you are a diabetic, please notify our staff so that we may give you special
instructions.
Please bring prior examinations, such as CT’s and MRI’s with you on the day of
your study.
How much time should I allow?
Your examination time will vary depending on the type of study performed. Most patients
should plan on spending approximately three hours with us.What can I expect?
When you arrive, a specially trained technologist will discuss your
PET/CT scan procedure
with you and answer any questions you still might have. When you are ready for the study
you will have your blood sugar tested. You will receive an injection of
radiopharmaceutical. You will not experience any side effects to this material. You will
then be asked to rest in a special quiet area for 30 minutes to 1 hour while the
radiopharmaceutical distributes itself in your body.
During your PET/CT Scan you will lie on a comfortable table that passes slowly through the
scanner as it acquires the information needed to generate diagnostic images. It is very
important that you lie quietly and remain still during your scan. Scanning typically takes
between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
After the scan is complete you may resume your normal activity and eating habits. |
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