Diagnosis of Heart and Brain Diseases with PET CT

PET/CT, which is used in the diagnosis of many cancers, is also used to investigate the presence of living tissue in the heart after a heart attack. This super device now diagnoses the patient to undergo bypass.
Yeditepe University Hospital Nuclear Medicine Specialist Prof. Dr. Nalan Alan Selçuk states that PET/CT device, which is mostly used in the diagnosis of cancer, also provides great benefits in the diagnosis of heart and brain diseases. Dr. Selçuk says, “We use the PET device primarily in cancer, heart, and brain diseases. We use it in the diagnosis and follow-up of many cancers, especially lung, lymphoma, breast, stomach, and colon cancer types.”

It Shows the Course of Cancer

PET/CT mainly shows sugar metabolism. Since cancer cells use glucose a lot, those cells can be imaged with a PET/CT device. In which organ the cancer is located, and its borders can be monitored in detail. It is very important to stage the cancer before starting treatment. It was not always possible to show whether the cancer had spread to other organs with other methods, and it could be noticed during the surgery. However, thanks to PET/CT, we can see at what stage the cancer is and to which parts of the body it has spread. If the cancer has spread to other organs of the body, other treatment options can be applied without applying surgery.

Essential for Epilepsy Patients

Stating, "It is known that PET/CT is only used for cancer diagnosis", the specialist doctor said, “However, it also provides great benefits in the diagnosis and follow-up of heart and brain diseases. In cardiac patients, the presence of live heart cells is shown, especially before the bypass, and it informs us about which patients the bypass will be applied to and which patients it is unnecessary. If living heart cells cannot be shown in the heart PET study, in this case, unnecessary procedures are avoided since bypass will not contribute to the patient. Thus, we can guide the clinician about which treatment option should be preferred in patients with vascular stenosis using PET/CT examination. PET / CT device is also a preferred method in brain diseases, especially providing early diagnosis of epilepsy and dementia (Alzheimer, etc.) diseases. In patients with epilepsy, the focus can be shown with PET. Dementia diseases are irreversible diseases. Early diagnosis is of great importance in this type of disease.”