Cancer Positron Emission Tomography treatment is in general safe, and while some patients will experience some minor side effects. Side effects can include allergic reaction to the radiotracer nausea, vomiting, headache or dizziness, and also some patients feel pain or discomfort where the radiotracer was injected, and become hot or flushed during or until the radiotracer is circulating or being injected, and sometimes there are some mild side effects for the injections of the radiotracer.
Injection Allergic Reactions
A client can develop an allergic reaction to the radioactive tracer following an injection. It is minimal, uncommon and clients will be requested to sign off that they are undertaking the same test following a consent form having been provided and several tests.
Radiation Exposure
Patients who undergo the PET Scan always get exposed to radiation and it is this exposure to radiation that is evil. It is always your continuous and prolonged exposure that is harmful and might cause cancers.
Safety and Precautions
Tracer removal: The radioactive tracer is removed from the body in the course of the test through urine usually within hours. In the majority of cases, the patient will be allowed to have plenty of fluid to drink after the test to promote removal of the tracer.
Diabetes notes: Since blood glucose may impact PET scan results, you must seriously heed the doctor’s preparation instructions. The PET scanner is about the size of a small CT scanner and sometimes makes the patient nervous or apprehensive about lying in such a confined space.
Discomfort with not being still
A few patients are uneasy with remaining stationary. Rare but Serious Complication difficulty breathing a rash that spreads quickly; and swelling. The reaction must be treated as an emergency, panic one gets immediate medical attention. Apart from the risk of a reaction, results can also be from time to time wrong, false positive or false negative when biologicals are employed, causing additional and unnecessary testing and anxiety in the patient.
Conclusion
The vast majority of patients having a PET scan will suffer no, or very minor, and usually transitory, side effects. Serious side effects are vanishingly small. The relative benefit of imaging diagnostics, much of cancer treatment, is many, many times these low risks. Patient preparation, complete revelation of the patient’s medical history, and hydration after the examination, may also be used to minimize the risk of an undesirable side effect to the patient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the dangers of a PET scan?
The biggest dangers of a PET scan are minimal radiation exposure, allergic reaction to the radioactive dye, if you happen to be allergic, and any discomfort or pain from having a procedure such as being claustrophobic in the machine itself or the needle injection and stick.
Q. Why am I so exhausted after a PET scan?
Although PET scans do not leave people very sleepy, anxiety and stress related to procedures, or contrast agent side effects may also cause a feeling of tiredness.
Q. Are there any after effects of having a PET scan?
The scan is merely an injection of a radioactive tracer, and we assume the radiation dose to be low and have had no severe side effects.
Q. How often is it safe to have a PET scan?
Although there are no set frequencies of PET scans that are “safe,” having another PET scan ultimately depends on an individual’s overall state of well-being and the benefits outweigh the potential for radiation damage.
Q. Is a PET scan as terrible as an MRI?
Yes, there is only a small chance for future harm. MRIs don’t use radiation.
Q. Are PET scan rays harmful?
The scan will usually take 15 to 20 minutes, but overall time spent in the PET imaging department will be around 2 to 3 hours.
