Positron Emission Mammography PEM

Molecular imaging is in it’s infancy as a breast imaging technology. A nuclear tracer  FDG <fluorodeoxyglucose> radio labeled glucose, is injected into an arm vein and after a variable time of waiting,  images of the breast are taken. Images are obtained similar to mammography, but the time in compression is approximately 10 minutes per breast. PEM scanners are limited in their availability, but they will most likely become far more common in the next few years.

The FDA has approved minimally invasive biopsy devices that can be used in conjunction with the PEM imaging. <Dr DuPree was one of the first physicians to perform a PEM biopsy in the country!>

Most insurance carriers will cover this imaging for women with a cancer diagnosis.

This scan is related to PET scans that are often performed to look for cancers that have spread to other areas of the bosy. The difference between the scans is the ability of the PEM scanner to find small areas in the breast that are less then 2mm in size that may be early non-invasive cancers. (The whole body scans are less sensitive and can only detect cancer regions that are larger then 7mm)