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Glite Dictionary
PET scanner

PET scanner

1 3.5
Machine that makes pictures showing activity in the body to find cancer
  • noun
  • /pɛt ˈskænər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tomógrafo PET
  • Training is required for technicians to operate a PET scanner safely and effectively.

Examples

  • A PET scanner can detect changes in cellular activity before physical symptoms appear.

  • The hospital recently installed a new PET scanner to improve cancer diagnosis.

  • The PET scanner is essential for diagnosing cancer.

  • I had a scan done with a PET scanner yesterday.

  • The doctor used the PET scanner to capture detailed images of the patient's brain activity during the test.

  • After receiving the injection, she was placed inside the PET scanner for her examination.

  • This hospital has recently upgraded its PET scanner to provide more accurate results for diagnosing diseases.

Synonyms

positron emission tomography scanner
vsPET scanner
  • Specialized
6.5

A machine that makes detailed pictures showing where the body uses energy

has identical meaning but uses a short abbreviation for the same device

How Detailed

PET scanner
  • Specialized
1 3.5
MRI
  • Specialized
119 4.0
CT
  • Specialized
52 3.7
to x-ray
30 3.8

Surface Forms

PET scanner singular
PET scanners plural

Morphology

PET + scanner

This is a straightforward noun-noun compound: PET (the positron emission tomography technique) + scanner (a device that scans). A B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can infer it is the machine that performs PET imaging, following a common compositional pattern.

Etymology

PET scanner comes from PET, short for a method that uses tiny particles inside the body that give a signal, and scanner because the machine 'scans' the body to make pictures of that signal. So, a PET scanner lets doctors 'see' how organs and tissues are working, not just how they look.