What is the difference between CT and PET SCAN?

Computerized Tomography, otherwise known as CT scan, use the X-rays to obtain the axial films. The CT is different from typical x-ray films because it can provide more specifics about the fleshy tissue. The x-ray is distributed from one side, and the measuring device will capture the rays from the opposite side. The probes can move about in a circle, and the 360 degrees will help develop the exact images shown.

The computer will compute and give the view of the tissue according to the radiation. In CT, the radiation is delivered from outside by x-rays. Pet scan, on the other hand, is the abbreviated form of Positron Emission Tomography. The position is like an electron in weight but positively charged.

FDG will generate the positrons; usually, the radioactive FDA is taken by active tissue. FDA is like glucose, and radioactive substance attaches to glucose. The amount of uptake will help to identify the activity of the tissue. Electron is a negatively charged particle, and positron is a positively charged particle. The computer will assess this reaction, and a computer will give the final image.

CT scan, which stands for computed tomography, and PET scan, which stands for positron emission tomography are nuclear medicine scans that are used to detect abnormalities in different organs of the body. The computed tomography or computerized axial tomography is a computer-generated X-ray that permits the doctor to build the internal part of the body. It produces a cross-section and 3-dimensional structure of the scanned body part. It also functions as a guide for channeling any instrument that is inserted into the human body. On the other hand, a positron emission tomography is an imaging test that makes use of a specially designed camera to view the internal body organs. It is done by intravenously injecting a radioactive tracer through your arm. PET scan works effectively when used to trace cancers, heart functions, and brain disorders. It can also be used to determine the use of oxygen, metabolism of glucose, and blood flow in the body.

A CT scan will be able to provide a detailed picture of how your internal organs look like without the need for you to be opened up. A PET is another type of scan that people may go through but what this does is to make sure that some of the abnormal activities can be determined.

This can become more sensitive as compared to other imaging tests. This will also show if there are already some changes that have happened to your body. There are a lot of doctors that make use of both types of scans so that they can determine if there is something wrong with you. Another reason why they use it is to check if cancer has already progressed in some patients’ bodies.

CT or Computed Tomography and PET or Positron Emission Tomography scans are two types of scans that are used to diagnose patients by taking pictures of their internal organs to assist the doctor to effectively diagnose them. Both can be used to detect cancer and to examine the brain. One of the major differences between Computed tomography scan and positron emission tomography scan is that CT scan makes use of a computer to take different cross-sectional images of all the organs, tissues, bones, including blood vessels that are in the body, while PET scan makes use of a particular camera that will be injected through the arm.

The injected camera is a radioactive tracer. The moment it gets into the body, it gives different images of all the internal organs in the body. Another difference between the two scans is that it can easily detect how the cells are changing metabolically.