CT and PET scanning, treating brain injury

• What do doctors use to look inside the brain more easily?

  • CT (Computerised Tomography)
  • PET (Positron Emission Tomography)
• Why do doctors need to look inside the brain?

  To examine brain tissue for injury and disease
• CT scans


  Fires X-ray radiation at the brain from several different angles to generate a 3D image of the brain.
• Why are CT scans useful?

  Useful for examining bleeding within the skull, and damage to brain structures
• Who is not recommended for a CT scan?

  Pregnant women and children, as it exposes the patient to higher doses of radiation
• PET scans


  A radioactive ‘tracer’ is injected into the blood before the scan. The

  scan is sensitive to the tracer; so areas, where the tracer builds up (areas with greater blood flow), will be highlighted more brightly on the scan.
• Why are PET scans useful?

  Useful for identifying cancerous tumours, as these use more

  blood than normal tissue.
• Investigating brain function and treating brain damage and disease is difficult because:

  • It is complex and delicate
  • It is easily damaged
  • Drugs given to treat diseases cannot always reach the brain because of the membranes that surround it
  • It is not fully understood which part of the brain does what