PET/CT scan in El Paso
Desert Imaging does PET/CT in El Paso at its Central center, 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, on an 80-slice UMI scanner. One exam shows where something is and how active it is, for cancer staging, treatment checks, PSMA prostate scans and the heart.
- Time
- About 30 minutes of scanning, about an hour in all.
- Offered at
- Central
- Bring
- Your doctor's order, a photo ID and your insurance card.
- Hours
Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sunday
What it is
PET/CT joins two scans in one machine. PET, positron emission tomography, uses a small amount of a radioactive tracer to show how active cells are. CT shows exactly where things are. Together they point to disease that may not show on either scan alone.
For most exams the tracer is a form of sugar, FDG, given through a vein. Cancer cells use more sugar than healthy cells, so they light up. Doctors use PET/CT to diagnose cancer, find how far it has spread, check whether treatment is working, and look again after treatment ends. The pictures show the location, nature and size of a tumor or mass.
We also do PSMA PET, prostate specific membrane antigen, for prostate cancer, DOTATATE PET with gallium-68 for neuroendocrine tumors, brain PET, and cardiac PET with ammonia to measure blood flow to the heart muscle.
Good to know
PET/CT needs a doctor's order and, with most plans, approval from your insurance before the visit.
Where to get it
Choose a center to see this exam there, with the address, hours and directions.
What to expect
Arrive an hour before your scan time. Nothing to eat for 6 hours before, water only, and no gum, mints, cough drops or cough syrup, even sugar-free. If you have diabetes, check with your doctor about your medication, because blood sugar has to be below a set level for the pictures to read correctly.
The tracer goes in through a small IV. Then you rest quietly for a while so it spreads. The scan itself takes about 30 minutes, lying still on a padded table, with most of your body outside the ring. The whole visit is about an hour.
You can eat and drink right after, and drinking plenty of water helps clear the tracer. A board-certified radiologist reads the exam and the report goes to your doctor and to your patient portal.
How long it takes: About 30 minutes of scanning, about an hour in all.
Our equipment
- A UMI 80-slice PET/CT scanner at Central, with a wide, open ring.
- The wider, open design eases claustrophobia and gives more room for larger patients and for radiation therapy planning that needs more space, such as for breast cancer.
Exams we perform
From our physician order form. Your doctor names the exact study on the order.
- Whole body
- Brain
- Limited area
- PSMA, prostate
- DOTATATE, gallium-68
- Cardiac PET/CT with 13N ammonia
How to prepare
From our preparation sheet. Your appointment confirmation carries the instructions for your exact study.
All PET/CT exams
- Arrive one hour before your exam time for preparation.
- No cough drops, cough syrup, breath mints, chewing gum or anything with sugar, including sugar-free products.
- The sheet says: if you are diabetic, check with your doctor. Your blood sugar needs to be below a certain level during the exam.
- Bring any prescription medicine to take after the exam is complete.
Morning appointments
- Nothing to eat after midnight. Drink water only.
- The sheet says: if you are diabetic, do not take diabetic medication on the day of the exam.
Afternoon appointments
- Do not eat for 6 hours before the exam. Drink water only.
- You may eat a light breakfast that is low in carbohydrates and sugar on the day of the exam, but no coffee and no fruit.
Common questions
The tracer needs time to spread through your body before the pictures are taken. During that hour you rest quietly, and the staff registers you and reviews your medications.
No. Nothing to eat for 6 hours before your appointment, water only. For a morning appointment that means nothing after midnight. For an afternoon appointment you may have a light low-carb, low-sugar breakfast, but no coffee and no fruit. Bring any prescription medicine to take after the scan.
The amount is small. Drinking water afterward helps clear it. The cardiac tracer is not a dye or contrast. Tell us before the exam if you are or could be pregnant, or are breastfeeding.
A stress test done with PET. A tracer shows blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and under stress from a medication, with electrodes tracking your heart the whole time. Your blood pressure, heart rate and EKG are watched before, during and after the test. It is useful when a treadmill test is hard, for larger patients, and when an earlier stress test was unclear. Most cardiac PET exams take less than an hour.
Ready to book your PET/CT?
Request an appointment online and bring your doctor's order. We take it from there.
# PET/CT scan in El Paso Desert Imaging does PET/CT in El Paso at its Central center, 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, on an 80-slice UMI scanner. One exam shows where something is and how active it is, for cancer staging, treatment checks, PSMA prostate scans and the heart. ## What it is PET/CT joins two scans in one machine. PET, positron emission tomography, uses a small amount of a radioactive tracer to show how active cells are. CT shows exactly where things are. Together they point to disease that may not show on either scan alone. For most exams the tracer is a form of sugar, FDG, given through a vein. Cancer cells use more sugar than healthy cells, so they light up. Doctors use PET/CT to diagnose cancer, find how far it has spread, check whether treatment is working, and look again after treatment ends. The pictures show the location, nature and size of a tumor or mass. We also do PSMA PET, prostate specific membrane antigen, for prostate cancer, DOTATATE PET with gallium-68 for neuroendocrine tumors, brain PET, and cardiac PET with ammonia to measure blood flow to the heart muscle. **Good to know:** PET/CT needs a doctor's order and, with most plans, approval from your insurance before the visit. ## Where to get it - [Central](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/central/pet-ct): 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, Suite 120, El Paso, TX 79915. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Saturday. Closed Sunday. ## What to expect Arrive an hour before your scan time. Nothing to eat for 6 hours before, water only, and no gum, mints, cough drops or cough syrup, even sugar-free. If you have diabetes, check with your doctor about your medication, because blood sugar has to be below a set level for the pictures to read correctly. The tracer goes in through a small IV. Then you rest quietly for a while so it spreads. The scan itself takes about 30 minutes, lying still on a padded table, with most of your body outside the ring. The whole visit is about an hour. You can eat and drink right after, and drinking plenty of water helps clear the tracer. A board-certified radiologist reads the exam and the report goes to your doctor and to your patient portal. **How long it takes:** About 30 minutes of scanning, about an hour in all. ## Our equipment - A UMI 80-slice PET/CT scanner at Central, with a wide, open ring. - The wider, open design eases claustrophobia and gives more room for larger patients and for radiation therapy planning that needs more space, such as for breast cancer. ## Exams we perform From our physician order form. Your doctor names the exact study on the order. - Whole body - Brain - Limited area - PSMA, prostate - DOTATATE, gallium-68 - Cardiac PET/CT with 13N ammonia ## How to prepare From our preparation sheet. Your appointment confirmation carries the instructions for your exact study. ### All PET/CT exams - Arrive one hour before your exam time for preparation. - No cough drops, cough syrup, breath mints, chewing gum or anything with sugar, including sugar-free products. - The sheet says: if you are diabetic, check with your doctor. Your blood sugar needs to be below a certain level during the exam. - Bring any prescription medicine to take after the exam is complete. ### Morning appointments - Nothing to eat after midnight. Drink water only. - The sheet says: if you are diabetic, do not take diabetic medication on the day of the exam. ### Afternoon appointments - Do not eat for 6 hours before the exam. Drink water only. - You may eat a light breakfast that is low in carbohydrates and sugar on the day of the exam, but no coffee and no fruit. ## Common questions ### Why arrive an hour early? The tracer needs time to spread through your body before the pictures are taken. During that hour you rest quietly, and the staff registers you and reviews your medications. ### Can I eat before a PET/CT? No. Nothing to eat for 6 hours before your appointment, water only. For a morning appointment that means nothing after midnight. For an afternoon appointment you may have a light low-carb, low-sugar breakfast, but no coffee and no fruit. Bring any prescription medicine to take after the scan. ### Is the tracer safe? The amount is small. Drinking water afterward helps clear it. The cardiac tracer is not a dye or contrast. Tell us before the exam if you are or could be pregnant, or are breastfeeding. ### What is cardiac PET? A stress test done with PET. A tracer shows blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and under stress from a medication, with electrodes tracking your heart the whole time. Your blood pressure, heart rate and EKG are watched before, during and after the test. It is useful when a treadmill test is hard, for larger patients, and when an earlier stress test was unclear. Most cardiac PET exams take less than an hour. ## Ready to book? Request an appointment online and bring your doctor's order. We take it from there. - [Request an appointment](https://eforms.abbadox.com/240384671438865) - Call (915) 577-0100