positron emission tomography
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Related to positron emission tomography: single photon emission computed tomography
positron emission tomography:
see PET scanPET scanor positron emission tomography
, a medical imaging technique that monitors metabolic, or biochemical, activity in the brain and other organs by tracking the movement and concentration of a radioactive tracer injected into the bloodstream.
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positron emission tomography
[′päz·ə‚trän i¦mish·ən tō′mäg·rə·fē] (medicine)
A technique that uses measurements of the back-to-back emission of gamma rays from the annihilation of positrons emitted by radioactive tracers to map the distribution of these tracers in the human body. Abbreviated PET.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.