06/04/21

1

Positron Emission Tomography

PET imaging

Radioactive

glucose

Image of patient adapted with the permission of Jens Langner
from:  http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-23509

06/04/21

2

Positron Emission Tomography

Making radiotracers

Magne
tic
field

O

18

8

F

18

9

Target

Electromagnet

South pole

North pole

Radioactive

glucose

Proton

beam

06/04/21

3

Positron Emission Tomography

Positron
emmision

6

7

8

9

10

11

6

7

8

9

10

O

17

8

O

16

8

O

18

8

Stable

N

1
67

F

1
89

Unstable

Proton Number

N

e

u

tr

o

n

N

u

m

b

e

r



p



n







beta-plus decay

positron

(

anti-particle of an

electron)

Stable

isotop

es



beta-minus

decay

06/04/21

4

Positron Emission Tomography

Gamma

pairs

electron

positro
n

Gamma ray

Gamma ray