Atlantic Health works diligently to provide you with the extraordinary care you need. These instructions will help you prepare for your upcoming PET/CT exam. Please be sure to read and follow these mandatory preparation instructions carefully to ensure you are eligible for the exam upon arrival. Dietary guidelines must be followed.
If you have 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 30 minutes before your appointment time.
What to bring:
- Your insurance card(s) and photo identification
- Your prescription
- Current list of all medications (name, dosage, and frequency). Please include over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
- Copies of any 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 Atlantic Health
Mandatory Preparation Instructions:
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing with no metal snaps, buttons, zippers, sequins, belt buckles, or underwire bras. Do not wear any jewelry and leave valuables at home.
- If you have a defibrillator, please bring your card with the settings.
Do NOT:
- Do not eat anything within 4 hours before your test. You may drink water.
- Do not consume coffee, tea (caffeinated nor decaffeinated), chocolate, or soda 12 hours before your test.
- Do not smoke nor use nicotine products on the day of your appointment.
- Do not apply lotions around/on the chest area.
- Do not use xanthene- or methylxanthine-based medications within the 12 hours before your test. These medications are used to treat asthma and COPD. Please check with your physician as to which medications should be held.
- Do not use the medication Aggrenox within the 12 hours before your test.
- If you are claustrophobic, obtain calming medication from your doctor before your appointment. We cannot provide these medications. Please arrange transportation if you intend to take this type of medication 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.
What to expect:
- You will be with us for about 1 hour.
- You will be brought into the scanner room and be prepared to have images taken of your heart. During the scan, you will lie flat on your back while the scanner takes images.
- Your scan will be reviewed by a board-certified fellowship-trained cardiologist 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:
Morristown Medical Center, 100 Madison Ave, Level D,
Morristown, NJ 07960 973-971-5559
Enter through the Goryeb Children’s Center entrance on Franklin Street, then follow the signs for Radiology. Goryeb Children’s Center is to the left of the Emergency Department. (From Monday-Friday 6:00pm to 6:00am, enter through the main hospital entrance and go to Radiology on Kahn Level D.)