PET scan

American

[pet skan] / ˈpɛt ˌskæn /

noun

Computers, Medicine/Medical.

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

PET scan Scientific

/ pĕt /

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 Cultural

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.

Discover More

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.

Etymology

Origin of PET scan

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I spent the next several days trotting to back-to-back appointments for procedures and tests, including a breathing test, a PET scan and a lung biopsy.

From The Wall Street Journal

One patient, a human-resources executive, had erroneously been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s based on a faulty PET scan of his brain that had read positive for amyloid and his own fears of memory issues because he had missed an important meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal

So when a PET scan or spinal tap is positive for amyloid plaques, it almost always means there are also tau tangles present, says Dr. Clifford Jack, a radiologist and professor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and first author of the Association’s criteria.

From The Wall Street Journal

Through a PET scan and spinal tap, I saw the sticky, abnormal plaques associated with the disease building up in my brain.

From The Wall Street Journal

All the volunteers will have the current gold-standard tests for Alzheimer's which involve a specialised brain PET scan using a radioactive tracer, or a lumbar puncture to remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023