Patient Preparation for Oncological FDG-PET/CT Imaging

In oncology patients who undergo positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT), radiolabeled [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) is utilized to obtain qualitative and quantitative data about tumour metabolism. The process of patient preparation before FDG-PET/CT imaging (scanning) primarily includes acquisition of patient data, fasting before imaging, regulation of blood glucose and insulin levels, administration of FDG and radiologic contrast material, administration of adjunctive agents, scheduling of the imaging in recently treated patients, imaging during pregnancy and lactation, and final arrangements before imaging. Standardization of procedures for patient preparation in oncological FDG-PET/CT imaging is extremely important to obtain high-quality images, to decrease false-negative and false-positive findings and to reduce the patient radiation dose as much as possible