| What
is Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear Medicine is a diagnostic
imaging modality which can be used to show the functions
of body organs, as well as its anatomy. This provides
valuable diagnostic capabilities as well as therapeutic
applications to patients. Nuclear Medicine involves
very small amounts of radioactive substances, or tracers
that are attracted to specific organs in the body
in order to diagnose or treat symptoms. Generally,
the radiation to the patient is similar to that resulting
from a standard x-ray examination.
Are there
any side-effects?
There are no documented side-effects
in relation to nuclear medicine studies. None of the
injections contain iodine, so patients with iodine
allergies are able to have a nuclear medicine scan
without any ill effects.
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What are
some common imaging procedures?
Nuclear medicine images can
assist the physician in diagnosing diseases. The most
common types of imaging procedures are:
- Myocardial Perfusion
Scan: Depicts blood supply and function of the heart
- Bone Scan: Identify fractures,
infections, arthritis or tumours
- Lung Scan: Evaluate for
pulmonary embolism
- Thyroid Scan: Evaluate
nodules or overactive thyroid glands
- Gallium Scan: Localise
sites of infection or tumour
- Kidney Scan: Analyse
the function of kidney
- HIDA Scan: Evaluate gallbladder
function
- Lymphoscintigraphy: To
identify lymph nodes for surgical removal
- Parathyroid Scan: Identify
parathyroid adenoma
- I-131 Therapy: For thyroid
overactivity
- Strontium (or Samarium)
Injection: Therapeutic injection to alleviate bone
pain
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What does
the Camera look like?
During most nuclear medicine
examinations, you will lie down on a scanning table.
There are two detectors which are able to generate
an image, that move over the body in the area of interest.
For most examinations you head will not go under the
detectors.
 |
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| Nuclear Medicine Gamma Camera |
The new SPECT/CT Camera |
When can
I get the results?
The results will be processed
by a Nuclear Medicine Technologist and then be interpreted
by the Nuclear Medicine Physician. You will be able
to take your results with you on the day, or we can
send them straight to your referring doctor. If you
decide to take the results with you, it is usually
only a 20—30 minute wait.
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