Having a PET/CT scan

If you’ve never had a PET/CT scan you might not know what to expect and this brief guide is designed to answer the questions that might be in your mind.

It outlines the things you need to tell us beforehand, what you need to do to prepare and what happens before, during and after the procedure.

Before you arrive

• Unless we tell you otherwise, please don't have anything to eat or drink, except water, for six hours before your appointment.
• In fact, it’s quite helpful if you drink 4 or 5 glasses of plain water. 
• Please confirm your appointment if requested to do so prior to your scan and arrive in plenty of time
• You’re welcome to bring a friend or a relative with you – female companions must not be pregnant– but for safety reasons we won’t normally allow them into the examination room. It’s really important that you arrive by the time we tell you. We’ll need to give you an injection (see below – Preparation) which has an extremely short shelf life and if you’re late we might not be able to use it – and your appointment will have to be cancelled.
• We may give you a medicine to enhance the scan results. If we think this is necessary, we’ll discuss it with you before your scan and you will not be able to drive afterwards so you will need to make arrangements for someone to collect you.

Preparation for the scan

• Once you’ve checked in at reception (don’t forget to bring your appointment letter), a member of the scanning team will meet you, explain the procedure, go through your safety questionnaire with you
• We might ask you to get changed. We’ll give you a container to keep your clothes and personal belongings safe.
• You’ll be looked after by the scanning team throughout the procedure – they will explain what’s happening and will be there if you experience any discomfort.
• You’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions.
• We'll need to inject you with a radioactive tracer; it’s a minor injection (no worse than having a blood test);
• After the injection, you’ll need to lie still without talking for around an hour to allow the tracer to be absorbed into your body.
• Then we’ll ask you to empty your bladder, following which you’ll be ready for the scan.

During the scan

• The Technician operating the scanner will be able to see and hear you throughout the procedure.
• We’ll ask you to lie down on the scanner bed and we'll make sure you're comfortable so you can stay as still as possible. You won’t feel anything.
• Most scans take between 30 minutes and one hour.
• For safety reasons, we don’t normally allow anyone accompanying you to come into the examination room whilst the scan is in progress.

After the scan

• Do not drive if you have been instructed not to. Drink plenty of fluids – this will help flush the tracer from your body.
• We strongly recommend that you don’t have close contact with any pregnant women or young children for eight hours following the scan.
• A Consultant will examine the images shortly after your visit and send a report to your Doctor or Consultant, normally within a few days.
• For ethical and professional reasons, we cannot discuss results with you. Only your Doctor or Consultant can do this.