Advanced diagnostics at the PET centre

One of the facilities run jointly by Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University is the PET Centre. PET is short for positron emission tomography, a method that provides images of various physiological processes in the body. Diagnosis and monitoring of treatment is one important application area, research concerning disease processes and drug development another.

The PET technology provides another type of information than conventional computerised tomography and makes it possible for example to study blood flow and energy consumption in individual organs. This is done by labelling a chemical substance taking part in the process under investigation with a radioactive nuclide. The dosage is low and the patient is not put at any risk.

The method is of great value in the treatment of cancer patients. It is possible not only to trace tumours, but also to differentiate between active tumour cells and tumour cells that have been inhibited by treatment, something which is very difficult to do using normal X-ray. Also in the treatment of certain diseases of the central nervous system the technique can be used, for making diagnoses as well as for evaluating treatment.