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Nuclear Medicine

About Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is a radiological subspecialty that uses small amounts of radioactive material for diagnostic imaging, as well as for treatment of certain conditions. It is one of the medical imaging methods that allows radiologists to view functioning physiological processes over time, rather than simply what an area of the body looks like at a specific moment.

For diagnosis, your physician may order nuclear medicine imaging for such purposes as evaluating heart, circulatory, or kidney function; finding blockages in the gall bladder; looking for fractured bones; finding infections; diagnosing thyroid problems; diagnosing cancer; or identifying areas of internal bleeding.

Nuclear medicine is also sometimes used in the treatment of certain disorders, such as destroying cancer cells in the thyroid with controlled doses of radiation.

Preparing for Nuclear Medicine Procedures

What you should know:

• In order to have the best possible nuclear medicine procedure, it is very important to remain as still as possible. Any movement may make the images more difficult to interpret, or even cause the exam to be repeated.
• Dress comfortably and warmly.
• If lying on your back for a long period of time is painful, you may want to take a pain pill before the study. The radiotracer remains in your body for a short time and is excreted through natural bodily functions. Drinking plenty of fluids will help the body clear the tracer more quickly.
• Ask the technologist to explain any part of the procedure that you do not understand.

Common Nuclear Medicine Procedures

Bone scans can evaluate orthopedic injuries, fractures, infections, tumors, spine/facet joint degenerative changes, reflex sympathetic dystrophy or unexplained bone pain. There is no special prep for this exam. It requires two visits. The first will be approximately 30 minutes for the injection. Then you will return three to four hours later for delayed images that take about 60 minutes.

Scans to evaluate infection and inflammation.
There is no special prep for these exams. They require multiple visits on consecutive days.

Renal imaging can evaluate kidney function, check for ureteral obstruction, and evaluate regional scarring from old infections or chronic obstruction. It can also be used to evaluate renal artery stenosis as a cause for hypertension. The test and preparation vary, depending on why your test has been ordered. Please follow the instructions your doctor has given you and contact us with any questions. These exams can take up to two hours to complete, depending on the function of your kidneys.

Gastrointestinal imaging can evaluate gastric emptying time and gastroesophageal reflux. These exams require that you have nothing to eat or drink for six hours before the test. It takes approximately two hours to complete.

Hepatobiliary imaging can evaluate the liver and gallbladder function/contractility. These exams require that you have nothing to eat or drink for at least six hours before the test. It takes approximately two hours to complete.

Endocrine system imaging can be used to evaluate the structure and function of the thyroid gland. It can be used for tumor localization, as well as for parathyroid adenoma detection. The prep varies, depending on which exam your doctor has ordered. Please follow the instruction your doctor has given you, or contact us with any questions. A thyroid uptake and scan has three appointment times. The first two take about 30 minutes and the last takes approximately 60 minutes. The thyroid tumor imaging is a four-day procedure. The first appointment takes 30 minutes; two and three days later, the appointment takes 60 minutes. A parathyroid study has two appointments four hours apart, each lasting about 45 minutes.

Radioiodine treatment of thyroid disease. This will usually require you to stop taking any thyroid medication for several weeks before the treatment. The treatment requires a pretreatment office visit, which lasts approximately 30 minutes. You will subsequently return the next day for a very short visit for the actual treatment.

Specialized tagged antibody tumor localization for the evaluation of ovarian, colorectal and neuroendocrine tumors and metastases. The prep for these exams is exam dependent. Please contact us regarding the specifics for your test. The tests generally require multiple visits on consecutive days, usually lasting one hour per visit.

Heart scan is used to evaluate cardiac wall motion and contractility. There is no special prep for this exam, and it takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.

Other specialized tests are available. Contact us for more information.