PET/CT: Technique, considerations and indications in the oncology study of pediatric patients

Abstract

Pediatric cancer is the second cause of death in children older than 5 years in our country, after trauma. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a hybrid technique that involves radiation, which has been used for some time in adults and is being progressively implemented in children. This technique allows morphological and functional assessments of the body with applications in neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathology. Its main role in oncology is in the evaluation and control of lymphomas, sarcomas and neuroblastomas, among others. The quality of the results is determined by a number of rigorous processes to obtain the images. In this article we describe the steps in obtaining the images, the technicalities involved, sources of misinterpretation and what the main current indications that must be known by radiologists and pediatricians are.