Nuclear Medicine/Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning is a form of medical diagnosis that falls in the region of Nuclear Medicine. PET imaging or PET scan as it is also referred to, is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging procedure that allows physicians to examine organs such as the heart and brain without having to perform expensive and sometimes needless surgery.

The PET scan procedure detailed images that are able to feature the chemical function of the targeted organ or tissue marking out distinctions between benign (alive tissue) and malignant (dead tissue) disorders, something MRI, CT and X-rays cannot.

PET is a valuable tool for physicians who require information about the chemical function of such vital organs as the heart and brain in recommending a medical course of action.

PET scans are now a vital part of the medical diagnosis arsenal and as such has a range of different medical uses. A PET scan allows physicians to measure the body's abnormal molecular cell activity. This function means that PET scans are generally used in three areas of medicine: cancer, brain disorders and heart disease.

Positron Emission Tomography scanning is a unique, non-invasive diagnostic imaging tool that produces images detailing the biochemical functioning of an organ or tissue, which are essential in staging a cancer and helping to determine the correct course of treatment.