PICC line for PET scan?

Swati Bahl
Swati Bahl Member Posts: 4
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

Hi

I am a patient of hodgkins lymphoma. I have a PICC line inserted for the chemotherapy as my veins can't get located easily. I am done with 4 cycles and now I have a PET scan. So I want to know, Can my PICC line be used for the tracing medicine that is injected during PET scan or That has to be injected separately? 

I hope my query is clear.

thanks in advance folks! 

God bless you with a healthy life ahead! 

Comments

  • ShadyGuy
    ShadyGuy Member Posts: 922 Member
    edited March 2017 #2
    Good question

    My oldest daughter, an RN, says that it definitely can be used but that some radiology centers will not use them. Looks like you need to ask your specific radiology department what their policy is. I am sure they will consider your wishes when deciding how to inject the contrast. Wish I had a better answer for you. Thank you for your well wishes.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,817 Member
    edited March 2017 #3
    Contrasting Agents

    Swati,

    My understanding is the same as ShadyGuys.  A PET has not only contrasting agents (if it is a combinded CT-PET, which is getting very common), but also uses a (totally safe) radioactive element with an extremely short half-life.  The PET center will answer your question if you call them.

    I had a cathiport, but learned early-on that there are two types of these also:  A type that will accept contrast, and a type that will not. Mine would not, and therefore I had to receive all contrasting fluid via a seperate IV installed at the imaging center.

    I also learned from my hematologist and the lab that some blood draws are corrupted by being pulled from the cathiport, and have to be drawn from a fresh cath installed at the lab for the draw.  I recall that LDH was one blood test that the doctor said should never be taken from a port....  A PIC line may have similiar limitations.

    max

     

  • ShadyGuy
    ShadyGuy Member Posts: 922 Member
    #4
    PET

    Yes, Max is correct. The several PET scans I have had included the radioactive (very short half life) sugar solution and also a contrast agent for the CT portion of the test. The PET part actually just looks at the body to see where the sugar is concentrating as indicated by the higher rate of radioactive decay. Since cancer cells grow faster and use more sugar they "glow" brighter than the normal cells.The technical term is uptake. Then a high resolution CT scan is done and that image is overlaid on the PET image to precisely locate the cancer. The cool part is that a positron is actually antimatter that is released when the radioactive materials decay. You probably know all this and it does not answer your question. Good luck!

  • Swati Bahl
    Swati Bahl Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2017 #5
    THANK YOU GUYS :)

     

    Okay so I will check with the department. Thank you so much for the help Max and ShadyGuy! Really appreciate it! 

  • lindary
    lindary Member Posts: 711 Member
    #6
    one more response

    After I got my port in and had my next CT/PET scan I asked why they didn't use the port for the contrast or radioactive material. I was told they could use it for contrast but need to make sure it is well flushed when done. They won't use it for the radioactive material because of the possibility of some particle getting stuck in the port. I have since left it to their judgement since. 

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