What to expect at your exam

If your doctor scheduled you for imaging with Heritage Imaging, the scanner comes to your hospital or clinic. We perform the exam. Your physician ordered it and will go over the results with you.

Questions about why the exam was ordered, or what to do the day of your visit, should go to your physician or the facility that booked you.

Types of imaging

PET/CT

PET/CT combines two scans in one. PET looks at how tissues function, and CT shows anatomy. It is often used in cancer care to find, stage, or follow treatment. A small amount of a radiotracer (most commonly FDG, a sugar analog) is injected, then you rest while it circulates before the scan.

A typical visit is about two hours. After the injection you wait about an hour, then the scan itself is about 25 minutes. Most people have no special radiation precautions afterward.

MRI

MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves, not X-rays, to make detailed pictures of organs, joints, the brain, and the spine. You lie still inside a tube-shaped magnet. Tell your care team about any metal, implants, or claustrophobia before the exam.

CT

A CT scan uses X-rays from many angles to build slice-by-slice images of bones, vessels, and soft tissue. It is fast and is used for diagnosis, trauma, and treatment planning. Follow any contrast or fasting instructions from your facility.

If you are scheduled for ultrasound, nuclear medicine, or another exam, use the prep your facility sent.

Preparing for a PET/CT

Your hospital may give you written instructions. Follow those if they differ from this typical FDG PET/CT prep.

• Nothing to eat for 6 hours before the exam. Water is fine.
• The day before, eat low-carb, high-protein meals.
• No caffeine or nicotine for 12 hours.
• No strenuous exercise for 24 hours.
• Wear warm, metal-free clothes. You will lie still, often up to 45 minutes.
• If you need medication for pain or claustrophobia, arrange that with your physician. Bring it and give it to the technologist as directed.
• Bring prior imaging if your facility asked you to.

If you have diabetes: the usual blood-glucose target is 80–160 mg/dL. The exam is often postponed if glucose is over 200. Typical timing is no oral diabetes medicine for 6 hours and no injected insulin for 4 hours, unless your physician says otherwise.

Family generally stays out of the scan room. The visit is usually about two hours.

Patient forms

Print these, fill them out, and bring them to your appointment. If your hospital sent its own forms, use those.

Day of your exam

Bring photo ID, insurance cards, and any forms your hospital sent. Arrive when they told you to. We will be on site at your facility with the technologist team.

If something about prep is unclear, call the facility that scheduled you.