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PET Scan Vs. Bone Scan

PET Scan Vs. Bone Scan thumbnail
Scanned skeleton

PET scans and bone scans are both medical imaging tools used to diagnose diseases, conditions and injuries within the body.

  1. PET Scan

    • PET stands for positron emission tomography. PET scans use a radioactive substance to view how tissues and organs are working within the body. The 3-dimensional images created by the scan are projected onto a screen for viewing.

    Why a PET Scan is Used

    • A PET scan is used to diagnose brain and heart issues, as well as cancer in various organs and tissues.

    Bone Scan

    • Bone scans use a radioactive material injected into the patient to assist in filming the body. The camera detects the material and helps to determine increases or decreases in bone metabolism.

    Why a Bone Scan is Used

    • Bone scans are performed on bone to diagnose cancers and disease, and to monitor degenerative joint and bone diseases due to various factors.

    PET vs. Bone Scan

    • According to the Boca Radiology Group, PET scans are often better than bone scans because of their "...ability to differentiate active from dormant disease. PET detects chemical and metabolic changes in disease states, such as cancer, before anatomic and structural changes (detected by conventional imaging) have time to develop."

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  • Photo Credit Image by Fotolia.com, courtesy of chrisharvey

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