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New PET Scan Protocols?


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Yesterday was the day for the end-of-year PET scan. Have been getting them on a regular schedule since 1999. This one was my first in a new scanner just recently installed in our hometown. Prior to this, the closest was 2 hours away at a major NCI-certified teaching hospital.

OK...Went in, had the blood sugar check, then the butterfly IV into the hand, & the injection of the tracer solution. Then, instead of being told: "See you in an hour", I'm led to a stuffy, dusty, 6'x8' supply closet with shelves of office supplies & old defunct computer equipment...with a chair.

Here, I'm told I'm to remain there for an hour, until the scan. I let the tech know that'd be impossible for me, as since the pneumonectomy in '99, I've been EXTREMELY sensitive to air quality, and dependent upon clean air to prevent reactive choking episodes. I asked if there was any where else I could go, but supposedly there were no alternatives. So, I said we'd best just cancel & leave.

Then, I'm told "You can't leave...you're radioactive! Do you realize what would happen if you walked by a pregnant woman in the hallway on your way out??!!""...in a VERY patronizing condescending angry inflection.

I'll end the story here, as my question is this: are there new national protocols for PET scans that require the person to be isolated prior to the scan?

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I can relate, as that is exactly the procedure I had to follow. The reason they gaveme, is that they want you in a relaxed state to allow the body to properly dissiminate the radioactive drug. It has been found that by reducing the heart and respiration rate, in other words, literally taking a nap while you wait, has shown that the tumors, if there, will more readily absorb the radio nuclide, which is attached to dextrose. In a state of excitement, or getting into a conversation, or otherwise waiting in waiting area can has caused false positives because of certain organs operating at a higher rate.

I was left waiting in an injection room, with the lights turned down, and nothing to read. They told me that I need to be totally relaxed. The tech actually suggested meditation. Unfortunately, as this technology is still fairly new, attention needs to be given to the setting in which a person is to rest during this waiting period. I can certainly identify that a storage room is definitely not the perfect setting for this.

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Dave did you have a PET scan of the brain? Jim maybe someone complained and they now have to follow procedure.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv ... enDocument

Possible complications

The PET scan is considered to be a safe procedure that exposes the patient to about the same amount of radiation as two chest x-rays. The injected radioactive chemicals have a very short lifespan and are removed fairly quickly from the body. However, it may be wise to avoid close contact with small babies or pregnant women in the few hours following your scan.

PET scan procedure

If you are having a brain scan, you might be asked to sit quietly in a dark room and not do anything that might stimulate your brain (such as reading, for example).

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The physical half life of Technicium-99m, the isotope of choice, is 6 hours. The biological half life is approximately 4-1/2 hours. Depending on the initial dose, residual radiation would still be present the next day.

I was a Nuclear Med Tech from 1967 through 1979. We used to scan some the patients 24 hours after their initial scan and still had enough activity to complete the scan.

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I had a PET in August. While they did tell me I had to sit very still (and not speak) for an hour, they didn't put me in a dusty old closet, they let me sit in a nice waiting room with a TV (and other people!). They said if I walked around, the imaging would get a nice picture of my legs....and if I spoke, they would end up with lovely images of my vocal cords, because everything would go to that area. . . but they mentioned nothing of being radioactive!

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For my two PET scans, I have been left lying on a bed, covered with toasty pre-warmed blankets, with the lights dimmed, and the technician gone. They didn't give me any warnings of any kind, just left me cozied up. The facility is actually a semi-truck that has been adapted to this procedure and that they haul around from city to city on a regular schedule. I thought it was pretty rudimentary, but it sounds great compared to some of the other scenarios you all have mentioned.

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