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PET/CT

What is PET/CT?

PET/CT combines the fine structural detail of CT with PET’s ability to detect changes in cell function. This combination allows for earlier and more accurate detection of disease than either CT or PET alone. PET/CT can often detect small cancers before they are apparent on other types of exams because many cancers use glucose as their primary fuel. PET/CT images supplement the information obtained from conventional studies such as CT, MRI, and Ultrasound.

What Should I Expect?

After a finger-stick to obtain your blood glucose level, a small intravenous catheter will be inserted into a vein in your arm. You will then rest comfortably in a quiet room while the radioactive tracer is injected. The tracer, fluorine 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), is a radioactive sugar that is used by your cells as fuel. The FDG is allowed to circulate throughout your body during a 45-minute uptake period. The small amounts of tracer that are used do not have any side effects.

You will then be placed on a table in the PET/CT scanner, where you will rest comfortably for the remainder of the study. Detectors are then used to locate areas of increased accumulation of the tracer compared to normal tissues. The scanner makes very little noise. Depending on the particular type of exam, you may be required to place your arms above your head during the imaging process. Scan time varies depending upon your doctor’s request; the average scan time is 45 minutes.

For your safety and the protection of others, we do not allow anyone other than patients in our exam rooms.

How Do I Get The Results?

After your study is over, the images will be evaluated by one of our board-certified radiologists with expertise in PET/CT imaging. A final report will be sent to your doctor or healthcare provider, who can then discuss the results with you in detail.

Reports are also available on the MyRAD Patient Portal

Molecular Imaging Team

Richard R. Boyle, Jr., M.D.

  • Specialties:
    General Radiology, Molecular Imaging
  • Education:
    B.S. – Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah), 1978
    M.D. – University of Utah, 1982
  • Internship:
    Transitional, THMEP (Tucson), 1982-1983
  • Residency:
    Diagnostic Radiology, University of Arizona, 1983-1986
  • Fellowship:
    Imaging/Interventional Radiology, University of Arizona, 1986-1987
  • Board Certifications:
    ABR 1986

With Radiology Ltd. since 1988

Laurence G. Hanelin, M.D.

  • Specialties:
    General Radiology, Molecular Imaging
  • Education:
    B.A. – Washington University (St. Louis), 1986
    M.D. – Washington University (St. Louis), 1995
  • Internship:
    Rotating, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, 1968-1969
  • Residency:
    Diagnostic Radiology, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, 1969-1970
    Harbor General Hospital (Torrance, California), 1970-1972
  • Fellowship:
    Nuclear Medicine, Los Angeles County/UCLA Center for Health Sciences/Harbor General Hospital (Torrance, California), 1974-1975
    Gastrointestinal Radiology, University of California at San Francisco, 1975
  • Board Certifications:
    ABR 1974; ABR Special Competence in Nuclear Radiology 1979

With Radiology Ltd. since 1999

Lawrence S. Kaskowitz, M.D.

  • Specialties:
    General Radiology, Molecular Imaging
  • Education:
    B.A. – Washington University (St. Louis), 1986
    M.D. – Washington University (St. Louis), 1995
  • Residency:
    Diagnostic Radiology, Washington University, 1995-1999
  • Fellowship:
    Nuclear Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, 1999-2000
  • Board Certifications:
    ABR 1999; ABNM 2010

With Radiology Ltd. since 2000

Jason E. Wright, M.D.

  • Specialties:
    Body Imaging, General Radiology, Molecular Imaging
  • Education:
    B.S. - Brigham Young University, 2003
    M.D. - Georgetown University School of Medicine, 2007
  • Internship:
    Internal Medicine, University of Arizona Medical Center, 2007-2008
  • Residency:
    Internal Medicine, University of Arizona Medical Center, 2008-2010
    Diagnostic Radiology, University of Arizona Medical Center, 2010-2013
  • Fellowship:
    Nuclear Radiology, University of Arizona Medical Center, 2013-2014
    Body Imaging, University of Arizona Medical Center, 2014-2015
  • Board Certifications:
    ABIM (Internal Medicine) 2010; ABNM (Nuclear Medicine) 2014; ABR 2015

With Radiology Ltd. since 2015

Meet Becky, Tucson businesswoman

Becky was understandably nervous when her doctor ordered a PET/CT study to determine if her cancer had spread. She had read that a PET scan is extremely accurate, but she was still quite anxious. Because the PET technologists at Radiology Ltd. in Tucson took the time to explain the entire procedure to her beforehand, Becky said it was just what she needed to put her mind at ease.

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