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PET scanner

[ pet skan-er ]

noun

, Computers, Medicine/Medical.
  1. a tomographic imaging device that yields visual information (a PET scan ) about the ongoing activity of the brain: positron-emitting isotopes, incorporated into biologically important compounds, are injected intravenously or administered by inhalation, and the resultant gamma radiation is sensed by detectors and converted into computer-generated images of blood flow, oxygen utilization, glucose uptake, etc.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of PET scanner1

First recorded in 1975–80

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petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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