PET scan

[ pet skan ]

noun

, Computers, Medicine/Medical.

1. an image obtained by positron emission tomography, using a PET scanner.
2. an examination performed with a PET scanner.

PET scan

/ pĕt /

1. Short for positron emission tomography scan. A cross-sectional image of a metabolic process in a human or animal body produced by positron emission tomography.

PET scan

1. Acronym for p ositron e mission t omography, a medical test that is especially useful in showing how tissue or an organ is functioning, as opposed to just showing structure. In a PET scan, radioactive atoms are introduced into the body, where their chemical behavior is exactly the same as similar nonradioactive atoms. The positrons emitted when these nuclei decay collide with electrons in surrounding tissue, producing gamma rays that can then be detected by instruments outside the body.

Notes

A PET scan can show the blood flow through the brain , areas of high metabolic activity that indicate potential tumors , as well as areas of damaged heart tissue.

Word History and Origins

Origin of PET scan¹

First recorded in 1975–80; PET ( def ) + scan ( def )

Example Sentences

The doctor, to my grim surprise, was alarmed as well; he scheduled a PET scan.

From The Daily Beast

In the world of the MRI and the PET scan, it seems that there is “more than one echo of the insalubrious past.”

From The Daily Beast