PET Scan Patient Prep Info

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• For all Oncology PET exams, the patient should be NPO 4 hours prior to study. Patient may drink water, but no other type of liquid.
• Patient should be well hydrated with plain water only, prior to appointment.
• No pregnant patients may have a PET exam; breast-feeding mothers should contact the PET Facility for further instructions. Pregnant patients are scanned at the referring physician’s discretion. If the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk to the fetus we will scan. Patient will be required to sign a form acknowledging her pregnancy and possible risk to the fetus. Nursing mothers are instructed to pump milk prior to PET scan and refrain from nursing for 24 hours post exam.
• The patient may take any other scheduled medications if they can tolerate them on an
  empty stomach. If patient requires pain medication to lie down flat, please have patient
  brings them to their PE Scan appointment at St Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
• The PET Facility does not have pain or anxiety medications; arrangements should be made prior to the patient’s arrival by calling Michael Ozga at (800)840-0844 ext.1202.
• Have the patient wear loose fitting clothes on the day of the exam. It will be necessary to remove all metal hairpins and metal objects from pockets prior to the exam. The patient should be prepared to be at the scanning facility for approximately one and a half to three hours. After the initial injection of the isotope, the patient will be placed in a “quiet” room for 45-60 minutes.
• No regular insulin for 4 hours prior to appointment. Oral diabetic medications may be continued. If this creates a potential medical problem, it is requested that you contact Michael Ozga at (800)840-0844 ext.1202 prior to the date of the patient’s appointment. Both insulin and glucophage (metformin) are contraindicated as either may result in a false positive.
• All PET scans require pre-certification. Please check with each of your insurance carriers.