The Brain and Spine Institute is made up of experts in the field of neuroscience in order to bring patients the best healthcare in East Tennessee for a full range of neurological diseases and disorders.
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Centers of Excellence
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We provide a comprehensive continuum of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, diagnostic, treatment and support services delivered by our highly skilled staff with compassion and care.
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The Center for Women & Children's Health is a hub for supporting women's and children's individual healthcare needs. The center provides support, research and unmatched patient-centered care.
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Emergency and Trauma Services is the only Level I Trauma Center in the area and serves as the tertiary referral center for medical care in East Tennessee, serving Knox County and 21 surrounding counties.
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The Heart Lung Vascular Institute brings together expertise in clinical care, teaching and research. Patients receive exceptional healthcare combined with patient-centered care.
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Whole Body PET Scan
A whole body PET scan is performed to survey the body for sites of cancer cells. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) provides information on the functioning of body tissues and is a valuable tool for detecting cancer, evaluating heart function and assessing neurological conditions.
The PET Center at UT Medical Center was one of the world’s first clinical PET centers (centers where the equipment was used for patient diagnosis). It has been operating since January 1988, performing more than 11,000 scans.
While a patient lies on the PET scanner's bed, a Nuclear Medicine technologist sets up a PET whole body scan on the scanner console.
Your Medical Test
The patient receives an injection of FDG (fluoro-deoxyglucose) in a vein in the arm and images are obtained approximately one hour after the injection. The scan itself should take approximately 15 minutes for satisfactory images. The patient lies motionless on a bed while, for most patients, images are made from the neck to the mid-thigh. The scanner does not completely cover the patient’s face.
FDG is a widely-used PET pharmaceutical. It’s radioactive component, fluorine-18, has a short half-life (110 minutes) so that the material soon leaves body tissues. It emits positrons that quickly are converted to gamma radiation (high energy photons). FDG consists of a fluorine-18 atom attached to a sugar molecule so that the FDG functions in the body in a manner similar to glucose or sugar. No allergic reactions are experienced with this test.
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