At Your Appointment
Please click on a question in the list to jump to the answer.
- Will my scan take place in a hospital?
- What happens on the day of the scan?
- What precautions do I need to take after the scan?
- How much radiation do I receive from the scan?
- What do I do after the scan?
- How do I get my results?
Q. Will my scan take place in a hospital?
A. Your appointment will take place in a mobile scanning unit near the hospital. You can find out more about our units, and take a look inside one here.
Q. What happens on the day of the scan?
A. You should arrive 15 minutes before your scan appointment time
If you realise that you will be late or unable to attend the unit please contact the Patient Referral Centre: 0845 600 2953.
After you have been greeted at reception, a radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will explain the procedure. Please feel free to ask any questions regarding the PET/CT scan at this point.
A radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will then take a short medical history from you to assist the doctor who reads the scan. The radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will then inject a small amount of 18FDG (low-dose radioactive form of glucose) into a vein in your arm. You will then rest for approximately 1 hour prior to your scan. You will then be asked to visit the toilet and then be taken through for your scan, which will last approximately 30 minutes. You will then be free to leave the PET/CT unit.
Q. What precautions do I need to take after the scan?
A. Please avoid prolonged close contact with children and pregnant women for 6 hours after the scan.
Q. How much radiation do I receive from the scan?
A. Equivalent to a period of a few years natural background radiation.
Q. What do I do after the scan?
A. Continue to drink plenty of fluids for the remainder of the day. After the scan you can eat and drink normally so please bring something with you to consume on your way home.
A. The scan is usually reviewed within 48 hours and the result will be sent to the doctor who referred you for the PET/CT scan. The staff at the PET/CT unit cannot issue the results to you.
