PET/CT Body Scan

PET/CT is most commonly used to detect, stage, and monitor cancer, but it can also be used to evaluate certain other conditions.

Your physician may recommend a PET/CT to:

1. Detect Disease: Identify areas that may represent cancer or another condition.
2. Determine the Extent of Disease: Including whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
3. Stage Cancer: Provide important information about the location and extent of cancer before treatment.
4. Monitor Treatment: Evaluate how a disease is responding to treatment.
5. Check for Recurrence: Help identify whether cancer has returned following treatment.

Your physician will determine whether a PET/CT is appropriate based on your symptoms, diagnosis, medical history, and other imaging or laboratory results.

Before your scan, a small amount of a specialized radioactive tracer is administered through an IV line. The tracer travels through your body and is taken up by tissues according to the biological process the tracer is designed to show.

During the examination, the PET scanner detects signals from the tracer while the CT scanner captures detailed images of your anatomy. The two sets of images are then combined to give your radiologist a more complete picture of the area being evaluated.

Step 1: Prepare at Home

Proper preparation helps ensure your PET/CT images are as accurate as possible.

For Non-Diabetic Patients

24 Hours Before Your Appointment:

• Do not participate in strenuous work or exercise.
• Do not receive a body massage.

6 Hours Before Your Appointment:

• Do not eat or drink anything except plain water. This includes no flavored water, seltzer water, coffee, or tea.
• Do not chew gum or have candy or mints.
• You may take your regular daily medications.

For Diabetic Patients

24 Hours Before Your Appointment:

• Do not participate in strenuous work or exercise.
• Do not receive a body massage.
• Follow a low-carbohydrate diet.

8 Hours Before Your Appointment:

• Do not eat or drink anything except plain water. This includes no flavored water, seltzer water, coffee, or tea.
• Do not chew gum or have candy or mints.
• Do not take diabetic medications. You may take other medications that are not for diabetes.

For All Patients:

• Stay well-hydrated by drinking water before your appointment.
• Do not wear clothing with metal, including zippers, clips, or snaps.
• Do not wear jewelry.
• If you have high anxiety or claustrophobia, consult your physician about medication. Do not take it before arrival. Our team will advise you when to take it. If prescribed, you must bring a driver.
• Bring a photo ID and insurance cards.
• If you have prior PET, MRI, or CT scans that were not performed at Fairfax Radiology or Inova, please bring copies of those images to your appointment.

Follow the specific preparation instructions provided for your examination, as preparation can vary depending on the type of PET/CT you are having.

Step 2: Check In

Please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. Your appointment will take approximately 2 to 2½ hours.

Step 3: Radiotracer Administration

When you arrive, a technologist will place a small IV in your arm and administer the specialized radioactive tracer. The tracer travels through your body and collects in areas with specific metabolic or biological activity.

Step 4: Resting Period

After the tracer is administered, you will rest comfortably while it travels through your body and collects in the areas being evaluated.

Step 5: The Scan

You will lie on a padded table that slowly moves through the PET/CT scanner. You will need to remain still while the images are being acquired.

The PET portion of the examination detects signals from the radioactive tracer, while the CT portion captures detailed images of your body's anatomy. Together, these images provide your radiologist with information about both the structure and activity of the areas being evaluated.

Step 6: After Your Scan

Following your examination, you may eat and resume your normal activities and diet.

Drinking additional fluids is encouraged after your scan to help your body naturally eliminate the remaining radiotracer.

Yes. PET/CT scans use carefully controlled amounts of radiation for diagnostic imaging. The radioactive tracer naturally loses its radioactivity over time and is eliminated from the body.

The PET/CT scan itself is painless. You may feel a brief pinch when the IV is placed. During the scan, you simply need to lie still while the images are acquired.

Plan to spend approximately 2 to 2½ hours at the imaging center. Your appointment includes registration, IV placement, administration of the tracer, the resting period, and imaging.

No. For a standard body FDG (F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose) PET/CT, patients should not eat or drink anything except plain water for the designated preparation period before their appointment. Preparation time differs for diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Please follow the instructions provided when your examination is scheduled.

Please let our scheduling team know if you have diabetes. Special preparation is required before your FDG PET/CT, including following a low-carbohydrate diet and withholding diabetic medications for the designated period before your examination.

PET shows areas of metabolic or biological activity, while CT provides detailed images of the body's anatomy. When combined, PET/CT allows radiologists to evaluate both the activity and location of an abnormality.

A PET/CT provides important information about areas of abnormal activity and anatomy, but it is one part of the diagnostic process. Your physician will interpret your results alongside your medical history, symptoms, laboratory results, and other diagnostic tests.

A specialized radiologist will review your PET/CT images and send a detailed report to your referring physician. Your physician will discuss the results with you and explain any recommended next steps.

Contact our Scheduling Department for an appointment:
Phone: 703.698.4441 Option 4
Fax: 703.698.5930
Online: Click here to make an appointment request.
Please have your written physician order and your insurance card in hand when making your appointment.

For safety, children under 12 may not be left in the waiting room without a supervising adult. They may not accompany patients in the exam room. If supervision is not available, your appointment will be rescheduled. Families of Obstetrical patients will be allowed in the room for a limited period of time, but only when an adult accompanies the minor children.