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Our Services

PET/CT Scans

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We have locations throughout the New York City area.

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A PET/CT scan is a combination of two noninvasive imaging tests: positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT).

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If your doctor has ordered an imaging exam through your NYU Langone Health MyChart account, you can schedule most imaging exams using the NYU Langone Health app.

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At NYU Langone imaging services, our expert radiologists review and interpret PET/CT scans to diagnose illnesses, evaluate a patient’s response to treatment, and check for the recurrence of several medical conditions, including cancer.

When you have a PET/CT scan, radiolabeled glucose, a form of glucose (or sugar) labeled with radioactive material, is injected intravenously. Much like a car uses gas to run, the cells of the body need glucose to work effectively. The radiolabeled glucose resembles normal glucose enough to be taken up by cells and partially digested. As a result, cells that need more “gas” accumulate more of the radiolabeled glucose.

The PET/CT scanner detects where the distribution of radiolabeled glucose in the body or brain is abnormal, and thus where disease may be. For example, cancer cells use more glucose than regular cells whereas brain cells affected by epilepsy or neurodegenerative disease use less glucose than regular cells.

For certain people, contrast materials may be given orally or intravenously during the test as well.

Preparing for a PET/CT Scan

To get the best study, you must fast for six hours before a PET/CT scan, and you may only drink plain water. Ingesting even a small amount of food can make the results of the test less accurate.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you will be given specific instructions from our nurses after you schedule your appointment.

In order to have a PET/CT scan with contrast, you must have a blood test to check your creatinine levels within six weeks of your scan.

Please bring any previous imaging studies and reports with you if they were performed at another institution. You also need your identification card, insurance card, scan prescription, and related forms.

During a PET/CT Scan

When you arrive for your appointment, you need to change into a gown if you are wearing any clothing with metal in it. A locker is provided for your clothes and personal items.

Please advise a nurse or technologist if there is a chance you may be pregnant.

Before the scan, a nurse interviews you to get a detailed medical history, and places an intravenous (IV) line. If oral contrast is prescribed, this is when you drink the first portion. You are escorted into a private room, where you receive an injection of radiolabeled glucose and then rest quietly for approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

A few minutes before you go onto the scanner, you drink the second portion of your oral contrast and use the restroom. Emptying your bladder at this time will help reduce the radiation exposure from the radiotracer to you and to the medical staff—it will also improve the image quality of your study. If IV contrast is used during the CT portion of the study, it is injected while you are on the scanner.

Scan lasts approximately 20 to 30 minutes. During the scan, you are visible to and can communicate with the technologist, who is present in the adjacent control room at all times.

Some patients find being in a PET/CT scanner stressful and may bring medication prescribed by their doctor to help relax. It is better for you to report this to the nurse or technologist and only take this medication when instructed. This will make sure the medication is effective at the right time and does not negatively affect your results.

After a PET/CT Scan

At the end of the scan, you are escorted back to the patient area and your IV is removed. You can change and have a snack. Before you leave, medical staff will provide specific instructions for additional steps to take in the 24 hours following your scan. This includes avoiding being close to small children and carrying documentation that you were exposed to radiation, for example, if you are flying. There are also specific instructions for patients that are breastfeeding.

The results of the scan are interpreted by our nuclear medicine physicians. The report is sent immediately to your referring physician, who contacts you with the results.

Radiation Exposure from PET/CT

Patients are often concerned about radiation exposure from PET/CT scans. However, if your referring doctor and the radiologist have recommended this study for you, then the benefits—such as getting an accurate diagnosis or monitoring the progress of your treatment—outweigh the risks. Our team are constantly working to keep radiation exposure to a minimum for you, your family, and medical staff.

Each year, people living in the United States are exposed to between 8 and 10 millisievert, or mSv, of radiation, depending on where you live. By comparison, a whole-body PET/CT study is equal to roughly three years of background radiation exposure, while a brain PET/CT is equivalent to one year of exposure. In either case, this amount has never been shown to cause harm, particularly in patients who need imaging for medical management.

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