PET CT FAQ

Avoid exercising 24 hours before the scan. Follow a low carb diet for 12 to 24 hours before the scan. Don't drink or eat anything, except water, for 6 hours before the scan.

This allows time for hospital staff to check for any signs of an allergic reaction. You should avoid close contact with pregnant women, babies and young children for 6 hours after your PET/CT scan. This is because you still have some radioactivity in your body from the radiotracer.

The radioactive material passes out of the body through urine or stool (feces). It may take a few hours or days to completely pass out of the body. Drink lots of fluids after the test to help flush it out.

A prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) scan is an imaging test used to detect prostate cancer throughout the body. It uses a radioactive substance that targets a protein called PSMA, or prostate-specific membrane antigen, which is expressed by prostate cancer.

A PET scanner detects high concentrations of the radioactive molecule and shows where the prostate cancer cells are in the body. A PSMA PET scan may be used to help diagnose prostate cancer that may have come back or spread to other parts of the body.

PSMA PET scans for prostate cancer provide better care for men who are initially diagnosed with prostate cancer or for men who were previously treated but have experienced a recurrence of the cancer. In both cases, PSMA PET is better able to find the extent of this cancer in the body.

PSMA PET imaging is an FDA-approved scan with more precise detection of prostate cancer for better treatment planning and targeted care. More effective in pinpointing and eliminating tumors not only in the prostate but also throughout the pelvis and the body in cases where the tumors have migrated.