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PET Scan Research Paper

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POSITRON-EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY SCAN
Introduction
A positron-emission tomography scan (PET scan) is a machine that is used to discover how organs and the brain work. Although it is mainly used to detect cancer, heart problems and brain conditions.
How does it work?
A PET scan uses radiation produced from a radiotracer as it gathers in different parts of the body. Most PET scans use a radiotracer called fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). FDG is similar to that of normal glucose.
By investigating where the radiotracer is built-up or not built-up we can examine abnormalities in the organ. This process allows us to inspect certain organs and their function. It also allows us to detect cancer.
PET scans are often paired with CT scans to increase the images accuracy and the …show more content…

In the early days of medical science physicians were forced to open the skull to examine the living brain, this highly invasive procedure would result in death, this is why the search for different options began.
The first major advance was that of the X-Ray machine created and discovered by the German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen in 1895. The technology continued to develop and advance until 2001 when the first PET scanner was invented by Dr. Ron Nutt and Dr. David Townshend. However research that was used to create the PET scanner dates back the early 1950s.
The first PET scanners were rather basic and had few radiation sensors, therefore images that were produced were of a very low quality. As the world’s technological understanding increased so did the machinery used in the PET scanners until they reached the accuracy of today’s scanners.
Effects of the PET Scan
The PET scan has increased our knowledge on the body and its organs. It has helped us understand the functions and uses of each organ whilst it allows us to monitor, detect and view different diseases, most of these being

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