Your Consultant has referred you for a PET-CT scan. This test will provide important diagnostic information to help your Consultant and their team plan appropriate treatment for you.

If you have any concerns either before or after your scan, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at the Guildford PET-CT Centre by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

The CT performed in a PET-CT scan is used to complement the PET information. It is not used in the same way as a full CT.

This relatively simple procedure should take between 2 to 3 hours from start to finish. 

The actual time spent on the scanning bed is around 30 minutes. However, there is at least 90 minutes of preparation necessary before the scan. Therefore, it is very important to arrive on time for your appointment. 

For the procedure you will be given a radioactive injection which is produced specifically for you, and has a very short shelf life, meaning that it doesn’t last very long in your body.

If you are late we may not be able to proceed with your scan. If you're worried that you will be late, call us on 01483 948348.  

Whilst a friend, relative or carer may accompany you to the PET-CT Centre, they will not be able to go with you into the preparation area unless they are providing translation services or there is a legal need for them to be present. 

They will not be able to accompany you into the scanning room. A member of our team will be watching your scan from the Control Room and, if you have any concerns during the procedure, you will be able to communicate with them via a two-way microphone.

Radiation is simply a type of energy; the most familiar form of radiation is visible light like that produced from the sun. 

Other forms of radiation, like X-rays and gamma rays, are used in medical imaging and provide useful tools for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. 

In PET, the amount of radiation given in an injection is just sufficient to obtain the required information and, after a short time, there is no trace that the test was ever done. 

The radiation decays away soon after your scan is complete. The amount of radiation received from a PET-CT scan is comparable to that of many diagnostic X-ray and CT procedures.

There have been no documented side effects associated with the radioactive injection. 

The small amount of radioactivity involved is kept to a minimum and has a very short shelf life. It will not make you nauseous or drowsy so will not prevent you from driving to and from your appointment.

Once we have received a completed request form from your Consultant, we will contact you to make an appointment and discuss the procedure. An information pack will be sent to you via email or through the post. 

Procedures such as X-Ray, CT (Computed Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) provide valuable information

about the structure or anatomy of the tissues being examined. 

By giving small quantities of a radioactive injection called 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (similar to sugar), PET (Positron Emission Tomography) produces images showing how the cells of your body are functioning. 

By combining PET and CT in a single scanner, images are produced which can reveal information regarding the exact location, size, nature and extent of disease anywhere in the body with much greater detail.

Unless you are told otherwise, please do not have anything to eat or drink for 6 hours prior to your appointment except plain water, and any necessary medication. We encourage you to drink plenty of plain water both before and after your scan (approximately 4 to 5 glasses) as this helps flush the injection we give you through your body. You may continue to use the toilet as usual prior to your scan.

When you arrive at the centre and have been checked in for your appointment, you will be taken through to the patient preparation area. You may be asked to change into a gown and remove any jewellery or metallic objects. 

The procedure will be fully explained by our team, and they will also take a brief clinical history.

You will be taken to a private, quiet uptake room where you will be given a small injection of a radioactive liquid into a vein - usually your arm. This is a small injection, similar to a blood test. Each injection is prepared on the day of the scan, specifically for your needs. 

After receiving the injection, you will need to rest and remain lying down comfortably for approximately 1 hour while the injection is absorbed into your body. During this time it is very important that you remain rested and relaxed.

Once the injection has been absorbed, you will be given the opportunity to go to the toilet and you are then ready for your scan. In the scanning room, you will be asked to lie down on your back on the scanning bed. The bed will move through the ring of the scanner and collect images for around 30 minutes, depending on the type of scan that you need. You will need to remain still for the scan however you can continue to breathe normally throughout. A member of our team will be watching your scan from the control room and if you have any concerns during the procedure you will be able to communicate with them via a two-way microphone.

Sedation will not be offered for this test and will not be available on the day of your appointment. If you have any concerns, please contact us by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

After the scan has been completed, you are free to change back into your clothes and leave. Because a small amount of residual radioactivity will still be in your body, we recommend that you don’t have close contact with pregnant women or young children for 8 hours after the scan. We encourage you to drink plenty of water (approximately 4 to 5 glasses), and go the toilet as usual.

Your images will be analysed by our PET-CT Specialists and a report will be sent to the doctor who requested your scan. We aim to have your results returned to the referring doctor within a week of your scan.

Yes. Our team needs to fully understand your recent medical history in order for them to be able to provide a comprehensive report.

Your Consultant should indicate on the referral form if any special requirements are needed, if you are disabled or if you have reduced mobility. 

When we contact you to arrange your appointment, we will also ask you questions regarding your mobility to ensure we can give you the best possible care.

When we contact you to arrange your appointment, please let us know if you are diabetic. If so, we will give you special dietary instructions to follow prior to your scan. It is important that you let our team know prior to the day of your scan if you are taking tablets, on insulin or controlling your diabetes with diet alone.

The radioactive injection is a form of sugar or glucose which allows for areas of interest to be highlighted on the scan.

Diabetes can affect the PET-CT scan in the following ways:

• If your own blood sugar level is high, your body will not take up as much of the injection because your own sugar will be taken up in preference. This means that the scan may not highlight areas of interest.
• If your insulin is high, this will also affect the scan results because the insulin encourages your own normal tissues and organs to take up the injection and once again the areas of interest may not be highlighted.

Because your blood sugar level is so important for the scan, all patients coming for a PET-CT scan will have their blood sugar measured before the radioactive tracer injection is given - even people who don’t have diabetes. 

The blood might be taken by a fingerprick test or a drop of blood might be taken during the injection. Ideally, blood sugar level should be between 4 and 10 millimoles per litre before the scan. If the level is more than 12, we would usually postpone the scan.

The amount of glucose you are given for the scan is not known to affect your diabetes.

Specific guidelines apply for children referred for a PET-CT scan, and the referring Consultant will also be asked to complete a Paediatric Patient Questionnaire.

Age, weight and ability to cope with the procedure are all taken into account.

If you have any concerns, please contact us by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

No. Unless you have been told otherwise, you can continue to take any medication that has been prescribed by your Doctor and you may take over the counter medications.

It is crucial for us to know if you are currently undergoing any Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy, if you have had therapy in the past, or if you are scheduled to start therapy. Your PET/CT appointment will need to be scheduled around your therapy dates.

Your Consultant should indicate on the referral form if any special requirements are needed, for example if you have any disabilities in relation to your hearing. When PMC phones to arrange your appointment they will also ask you questions regarding any disabilities.

If you have any concerns, please contact PMC on 0845 045 0103 to discuss.

It is imperative that we know before the test if you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or breast feeding. As the procedure involves radioactivity, your referring Consultant and the PET Specialists need to be able to ensure the need for the scan.

If you are pregnant or breast feeding, the team will need to give you special advice to follow after the procedure.

There is no risk involved with this test if you have any of the above. Implants or joint replacements may be identified on the scan, so it is important for our team to know your medical history. You will be asked to remove hearing aids, dentures and limb prostheses prior to the scan.

Your Consultant should indicate on the referral form if any special requirements are needed, for example if you are visually impaired. When PMC phones to arrange your appointment they will also ask you questions regarding any disabilities. Patient literature can be provided in Braille.

If you have any concerns, please contact PMC on 0845 045 0103 to discuss.

Yes, there is plenty of free parking available at Guildford PET-CT Centre. 

To speak to a member of the team, please contact us by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

Further information can be found on the Alliance Medical website http://www.alliancemedical.co.uk

If you would like to speak to a member of our team directly, please contact us by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

You may also be given the opportunity to complete a Patient Satisfaction Survey (PSS) on the day of your appointment, or you can access one below.

Your Consultant should indicate on the referral form if any special requirements are needed, such as translation services. 

If you would like to speak to a member of our team directly, please contact us by emailing guildfordpet@nhs.net or calling 01483 948348.  

We have enlisted the services of a professional translation agency who will be able to assist us in arranging the PET-CT scan appointments of non-English speaking patients, ensuring the patient receives all the relevant safety checks and is provided with the appropriate information required.

Patient guides are available in the following languages (other languages are available on request):

Arabic         Hindi

Bengali       Polish

Chinese      Punjabi

Gujarati      Urdu

At the time of arranging the appointment, we will ask if you have a relative/friend who could accompany you to your appointment and provide translation services. If you are not happy for a relative/friend to accompany you, an interpreter will need to be arranged to assist on the day.