11C-methionine-PET

The brain PET with [11C]METHIONINE is mainly used in the post- surgical monitoring and in the differential diagnosis between radionecrosis after radiation or surgical therapy and residual/recurrent disease.  The method is also useful whenever the information obtained with traditional diagnostic examinations (CT and/or MRI, needle biopsy procedures, ect.) has not been sufficient: diagnosis of doubtful encephalic lesions or of a nature to be determined.

• Oncologic pathology

The total time of stay of the patient in the department for the examination execution is about 1 hour. Fasting for at least 6 hours before the examination is required. Prior to the beginning of the examination, the patient must present personal clinical documentation (medical records, haematochemical, histological and radiological examinations, in particular MRI and/or CT of the brain) regarding both the pathology under study and any concomitant pathologies; he/she must also inform the doctor of the interval of time elapsed from previous surgery and radiotherapy treatments. If the examination is required, intravenous administration of the tracer will follow.  The waiting time before the start of the examination is 20 minutes. Then the patient is located supine on the bed of the PET/CT or PET/RM tomograph for image acquisition, for 20 minutes, during which he/she must remain absolutely still and maintain calm breathing.  At the end of the PET examination with [11C]METHIONINE the radioactivity of the patient will decrease and disappear in about 40 minutes.