Patient preparation instructions
PET/CT Exam - OMC Gallium-68 Dotatate (NETSPOT) and Copper-64 Dotatate
Patient preparationinstructions PET/CT Exam - Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center Gallium-68 Dotatate (NETSPOT) and Copper-64 Dotatate
Atlantic Health works diligently to provide you with the care you need. Please read and follow these mandatory preparation instructions carefully to ensure you are eligible for the exam upon arrival.
If you have any questions or need to cancel your appointment, please call the Nuclear Medicine department as soon as possible. The imaging material is ordered specifically for you several days prior and will need to be canceled.
Please arrive at the hospital 1 hour prior to your scheduled appointment time to allow for registration and injection of imaging material.
What to bring:
Your insurance card(s) and photo identification
Your prescription
Current list of all medications (name, dosage, and frequency). Also include over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Copies of recent prior PET, CT, MRI, or Nuclear Medicine bone scan studies sent to AHS via PowerShare or brought on a disc, including both images and written reports if completed outside of AHS.
Preparing for the exam:
Fasting is not required.
If you are on short-acting analogs of somatostatin, please stop taking it 2 days prior to the scan.
If you are receiving any long-acting somatostatins (monthly injection), please schedule your exam at least four weeks (28 days) after the injection of this medication and before your next scheduled injection.
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing with no metal snaps, buttons, zippers, sequins, belt buckles, and no underwire bras. Please do not wear any jewelry and leave all valuables at home.
If you are claustrophobic, obtain calming medication from your doctor prior to your appointment. We cannot provide these medications. Please arrange transportation if you intend to take this type of medication or if sedation is being given as you will not be permitted to drive yourself home.
If you need a copy of your scan sent to your provider via PowerShare or need a disc copy made, please advise the technologist upon arrival.
Do not stop any medication unless instructed by your physician.
Oral contrast:
Please follow the directions that apply to your scheduled time. The scan requires you to drink two bottles of dilute barium solutions. Refrigerate the solution to improve the taste.
For exams scheduled between 8 am – 12 noon, please follow these instructions:
The evening before your exam:
Drink one entire bottle of barium solution after 10 pm or at bedtime.
The day of the exam:
Do not eat or drink anything 6 hours prior to your test. Do not consume caffeine, decaffeinated tea or coffee, or sugar. You may drink water.
Drink half of the second bottle of the barium solution 30 minutes prior to your appointment. Bring the remaining half bottle of barium with you to the hospital. The PET technologist will advise you when to finish the barium solutions.
For exams scheduled between 12 noon- 4 pm, please follow these instructions.
The morning of your exam:
Drink one entire bottle of barium solution between 7-9 am.
The day of your exam:
Do not eat or drink anything 6 hours prior to your test. Do not consume caffeine, decaffeinated tea or coffee, or sugar. You may drink water.
What to expect:
You will be with us for about 2 hours.
You will receive an injection of a radioactive agent which targets disease. The level of radioactivity is extremely low and has no side effects.
You will then wait in a quiet room for approximately 45-60 minutes.
During the scan, you will lay on your back without moving for approximately 30 minutes. The scanner will take images of the radioactive tracer in your body.
Your scan will be reviewed by a board-certified fellowship-trained radiologist within 24-48 hours and the results sent to your physician and available on MyChart. Your physician will then discuss your results with you.
Where to register:
Overlook Medical Center, 99 Beauvoir Ave, 4th Floor, Summit, NJ 07901
908-522-2067
Enter through the main entrance and register at Central Access. Then, go to Radiology’s Nuclear Medicine department on the 4th floor.