PET - Positron Emission Tomography

PET Scanning is the best imaging technique to assist in the diagnosis of subtle brain injury because it is a functional imaging test, very sensitive to the diffuse changes seen after concussion.

The advantage of functional imaging studies is that by measuring some aspect of brain function, it can show us something about the living brain, that an evaluation of its structures alone, can not. show us that while they do not show as they show how the brain is functioning, they can identify evidence of diffuse, but microscopic brain damage. Functional tests include: PET SPECT FMRI MRI - Spectroscopy - new but may be the breakthrough test. EEG and QEEG i.e. Brain Mapping. Evoked response. The way in which a functional test does this is by looking at how the brain is functioning, by examining a specific aspect of a brain's function, such as glucose or oxygen consumption in the case of PET. PET Scanning features: Radioactive Isotope. Positive in a Significant Majority of Subtle cases Highly Correlative to Neuropsych Testing. Best to determine severity of brain damage in catastrophic brain injury.

©Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr. ,1999-2006