Epilepsy
For patients with epilepsy a PET scan is used to localize the part of the brain that is causing the seizure activity. There are various PET tracers to measure glucose, serotonin and oxygen metabolism, cerebral blood flow and receptor binding in epilepsy. Imaging brain glucose metabolism with 18Fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) PET is the most commonly utilized technique in routine clinical practice (1).
Why brain PET in Epilepsy?
Brain PET is prescribed to help identify the area of the brain where partial seizures arise. Furthermore, it may be done in the period between seizures (the interictal period) and most insurance providers pay for PET scans for patients who are being evaluated for epilepsy surgery.
Download Review