how long does it take for pet scan
My grandfather's pet scan was only scheduled to take 1 hour, but instead it took 4 hours. Dr. Joseph Accurso Dr. Accurso. Not a bad sign: Generally, if a pet/ct scan takes longer than 1 hour, it is for technical or patient motion reasons. The camera might have had a problem, or the patient may have moved and part of the scan repeated, or more of the body (legs) imaged.
The amount of radiation used in a PET scan is about the same amount as used in most CT scans. These scans use short-lived tracers, so the radiation is gone from your body in about 2 to 10 hours. Tell your doctor before having this test if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.