Modern Diagnostic Imaging Technique Applications and Risk Factors in the Medical Field: A Review

Figure 7

Basic principle of PET scan: (1) a positive electron (positron) is emitted by radioactive decay of radioisotope, for example, carbon-11; (2) this positron hits an electron present in the tissue to be analyzed and emits two photons having low energy; (3) scintillation crystals are present in the PET camera to absorb this emitted photon with low energy; (4) the light is produced that is converted into another signal such as electrical signals used by the computer system to produce 3D images.