PET

PET scanner is an advanced, high-performance system that delivers exceptional anatomic detail with the shortest possible imaging time that provides the maximum amount of patient comfort.

A PET scan of the heart is a noninvasive nuclear imaging test. It uses radioactive tracers (called radionuclides) to produce pictures of your heart. Doctors use cardiac PET scans to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) and damage due to a heart attack. PET scans can show healthy and damaged heart muscle. Doctors also use PET scans to help find out if you will benefit from a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) such as angioplasty and stenting, coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or another procedure.

PET scans use radioactive material called tracers. Tracers mix with your blood and are taken up by your heart muscle. A special “gamma” detector that circles the chest picks up signals from the tracer. A computer converts the signals into pictures of your heart at work. A PET scan shows if your heart is getting enough blood or if blood flow is reduced because of narrowed arteries. It also shows dead cells (scars) from a prior heart attack. A PET scan can help in determining if you’ll benefit from a cardiac procedure (PCI) or surgery to restore blood flow. The tracers used for PET scans can help identify injured but still living (viable) heart muscle that might be saved if blood flow is restored.