Answer to Question #12540 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear Medicine Patient Issues — Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I am a 21-year-old male. I was diagnosed with essential tremor and my neurologist sent me for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure and the results were negative for Parkinson's disease. However, my new neurologist sent me for a positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan. I am really frightened because of that huge amount of radiation which could affect my young body. What do you think? Are pros bigger than cons considering my age? I have no other problems—just shaking arms, mainly after physical exertion.

A

I hope that I can assure you that you should not be frightened. 

Your neurologist ordered the scan to ascertain other possible causes for your tremors. This information would be important to obtain no matter the age of a patient.

The risks of health effects from radiation doses received during diagnostic imaging procedures are either too small to be observed or are nonexistent. The medical benefits from properly performed, clinically indicated diagnostic imaging procedures, including CT scans, far outweigh any hypothetical cancer risk.

The physician reading the scan must look for any abnormalities in the entire scan, so your physician received a lot of information. That is a benefit for you as well. I hope that all was fine and your neurologist is one step closer to diagnosis and treatment.

Marcia Hartman, MS

Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice. To convert these to traditional units we have prepared a conversion table. You can also view a diagram to help put the radiation information presented in this question and answer in perspective. Explanations of radiation terms can be found here.
Answer posted on 28 June 2018. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.