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Test Preparation
How to Prepare For Your PET/CT Scan
Your doctor has ordered a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan for you. Sometimes scans may require special preparation. The following checklist will provide you with general information about how to prepare for your PET/CT scan. However, your doctor or testing facility will give you specific instructions about how to prepare for your exam.
You can expect to be at the hospital or testing facility for 2 to 3 hours.
Please wear comfortable clothing; however you may be asked to change into a gown. If you are extremely clausterphobic or have had difficulties tolerating CT (or CAT) scans please notify your physician. They can prescribe sedatives to make you more comforatble during the exam. Please remember to bring your CT film if requested, your insurance cards and personal identification such as your driver’s license.
Cardiology Preparation
- Please eat a normal meal prior to exam.
- Take all of your medications as prescribed, including insulin if you are diabetic.
Neurology Preparation
- No special preparation is required.
Oncology Preparation
- For at least 6 hours (preferably overnight), take nothing by mouth except water. During this time patients should not use gum, mints, etc.
- Take all of your medications as prescribed, including insulin if you are diabetic.
- Insulin dependent diabetics may have a light (high protein) diabetic meal.
- Avoid strenuous exercise the day before and morning of your exam.
These requirements are designed to provide your physician the best possible images from your PET/CT study. We recommend these requirements as the best balance between patient comfort and the exam quality. For example, strenuous exercise causes an increased demand in the muscles for glucose and may result in increased metabolism in the muscles. This increased metabolism in the muscles may obscure or hide other abnormal metabolism near the muscles and make it more difficult to for your physician to interpret the PET/CT study.
Special Abdominal Preparation
For use in suspected Colorectal cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, or other potential cancers in the abdominal or pelvic region:
- Use GoLYTLEY™ the evening prior to your appointment
- Be prepared for the use of a catheter during the PET/CT study
GoLYTLEY™ is recommended to clean out your bowels prior to your PET/CT study. It is believed that the naturally occuring bacteria in your bowels (intestines) will occasionally metabolize the FDG used in your PET/CT scan. These bacteria may metabolize enough FDG to make it more difficult for your physician to interpret your PET/CT study. Therefore when cancer is possible in the abdomen, we recommend using GoLYTLEY to provide the best possible PET/CT study.
Occasionally we also recommend using a medication (Lasix) that requires a patient to have a catheter inserted into your bladder for the exam. FDG is eliminated from the body through your urine and so it collects in your kidneys and bladder. As FDG collects in the urine, the PET/CT scan will indicate increased metabolism in the kidneys and bladder. This increased metabolism is not real, but is simply an artifact of how the body eliminates FDG from the body. The use of lasix and the catheter will reduce these artifacts in the kidneys and bladder which makes the PET/CT images easier to interpret.
If you need more information about these generic instructions or the specific preparation instructions that were given you at the doctor’s office, please call your physician or testing facility.
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