Nuclear Medicine

nuclear medicine

What is nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a blanket term for imaging procedures that utilize small amounts of radioactive tracers. The types of imaging services that use radioactive tracers include:

  • Bone Scan
  • Breast Sentinel Node Tracking
  • Cardiac Nuclear Medicine
  • Gastric Emptying
  • Hepatobiliary (Hida) Scan
  • Lymphoscintigraphy
  • SPECT
  • SPECT/CT
  • Thyroid Therapy
  • Xofigo® (Radium 223 Dichloride) Treatments

What are the benefits?

Nuclear medicine is best used to diagnose and determine the severity of a disease. Types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neurological disorders are commonly evaluated with the help of nulcear medicine.

What should I expect?

During a scan, you must ingest, inhale, or have the tracer injected into your bloodstream. The tracer gives off energy in the form of gamma rays, which is then detected by the scanner, allowing the radiologist to create images of your body that represent physiologic activity. The tracer solution may stay in your system for a few days but you will be able to return to normal activity after most exams. 

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