The biograph PET/CT is a diagnostic imaging system that combines PET and CT into one unit. PET (Positron Emission Tomography) utilizes a low-level radiopharmaceutical to visualize processes or functions within the body. CT stands for Computed Tomography or CAT Scan. This technique uses x-rays to make cross-sectional images (called slices) of your body. The structure of body organs is more clearly visualized than with conventional x-rays.

Advanced system software in the biograph PET/CT combines the anatomical information obtained from CT with the functional PET information to form not a photograph, but a biograph - an image that records living tissues and life processes with great precision and detail.

The biograph PET/CT can be used for a number of diagnostic reasons. The most common of which is in the imaging of neoplasm in the body. By showing not only anatomy, but function too, it is a powerful tool to help in the oncology arena.

Cardiac imaging is also part of PET/CT exams. It can show not only if there is a blockage in a coronary artery, but also if the heart muscle is still functioning beyond the blockage.

PET/CT can also be used to evaluate Neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and various types of dementia.

PET/CT is recognized as a valuable diagnostic tool in its own right, but in the case of a biograph, the sum of these two technologies is greater than the individual parts. CT creates images with extreme anatomical detail. However, CT does not show the living processes taking place in the body. PET images reveal much about the living processes in the body, but lack the detail to pinpoint the exact location which these processes are taking place.

That is where a PET/CT comes in. A PET scan may reveal the existence of a tumor but not its precise location in the tissue. The biograph image, with its anatomical detail, allows the physician to detect the tumor and know its exact location. The benefits to the patient are multiple, earlier diagnosis, accurate staging and localization and precise treatment. It may interest you to know that PET/CT was selected by TIME magazine as one of its Inventions of the Year for 2000.

Talk to your referring doctor about scheduling a PET/CT scan with Huntington Outpatient Imaging Center today. Appointments are available on a daily basis, between the hours of 8am to 4 pm. For more information or scheduling, please call a customer care representative at (626) 229-8969. We have plenty of availability to accommodate your scheduling needs.