A PET-CT scanner is a PET scanner combined with a CT scanner. Image What is a PET scan & what is it used for? A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner produces detailed, three-dimensional images of how the cells are working inside the body. PET scans can be used to help diagnose a range of different cancers & can show how far a cancer has spread or how well it is responding to treatment. They can also be used to help diagnose a number of conditions that affect the normal workings of the brain (neurological conditions), such as dementia. What is a CT scan & what is it used for? A computerised tomography (CT) scaner uses X-rays & a computer to create detailed images of the inside of the body, including the internal organs, blood vessels & bones. What is a PET-CT scan & what is it used for? The scanner itself is a CT scanner joined together with a PET scanner, which together form quite a long tunnel in which the paient lies. The tunnel is quite wider & the table moves slowly through as the patient has his or her scan done. The CT scanner component allows reconstruction & registration of the detailed PET images. This allows the PET information about cellular function, to be located quite precisely with its anatomical location, as determined by the CT scan. Complex CT scans, such as coronary artery angiograms, can be combined with PET scans, so that the 2 types of image can be viewed overlaid over each other. This helps to localise where an area of disease may be, such as a tumour or a narrowing of the heart blood vessels. Relevant links What is a CT scan? What is a PET scan? Having a PET-CT scan at the EIF QMRI Frequently asked questions (FAQs) Relevant Edinburgh Imaging publications 30 Sep 23. Lucia MacCioni CZI-PiW scholar 26 May 22. Featured Paper. Bypass grafting and native coronary artery disease activity 03 Feb 22. Featured Paper. Aortic valve imaging using 18F-sodium fluoride: impact of triple motion correction 16 Jul 21. Featured Paper. Improved identification of abdominal aortic aneurysm using the Kernelized Expectation Maximization algorithm. 22 Jun 20. Featured Paper. Coronary 18F-sodium fluoride uptake predicts outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. 18 Jun 20. Featured Paper. Bone marrow adipose tissue is a unique adipose subtype with distinct roles in glucose homeostasis. 02 Nov 19. Featured Paper. Aortic valve stenosis—multimodality assessment with PET/CT & PET/MRI 01 Nov 19. Featured Paper. Standardization of preclinical PET/CT imaging to improve quantitative accuracy, precision and reproducibility: a multi-center study 24 May 18. Featured Paper. 18f-fluoride positron emission tomography: computed tomography angiography predicts bioprosthetic valve degeneration. 06 Feb 18. Featured Paper. 18F–sodium fluoride uptake in abdominal aortic aneurysms: the SoFIA3 study Please view all our publications, here This article was published on 2024-08-22