Nuclear-Based Diagnostics

Unlike x-rays or ultrasound, which determine disease based on structural appearance, nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive materials to measure the function of organs and tissues. A nuclear medicine test is safe, painless and noninvasive. Nuclear medicine imaging allows physicians to diagnose and monitor diseases like heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer. URL https://int.livhospital.com/nuclear-medicine/

A nuclear medicine procedure begins with the injection of a special type of radioactive material called a radiopharmaceutical. The radiopharmaceutical is FDA-approved and meets exacting standards for safety. It is usually given by intravenous injection, though other routes are also used. During the scan, the radiopharmaceutical will be absorbed by specific organs or tissues in different ways, depending on the condition being studied. Generally, the areas that absorb more of the tracer will appear brighter on the image, allowing physicians to assess function and determine whether a particular disease process is present.

Top Nuclear Imaging Services Used in Today’s Medical Centers

Some patients worry about radiation exposure from a nuclear scan, but the amount of radiation you receive tends to be very low. Besides, the radioactive tracers used for these tests aren’t medicines or dyes; they aren’t poisonous and don’t have any side effects. For some studies, such as a gallium scan, you may need to wait several days for the tracer to be absorbed before the test.

Some nuclear medicine tests, such as a whole-body bone scan or a heart (cardiac) positron emission tomography (PET) scan, are combined with images from other imaging tests, such as CT or MRI, for more information about the structure and function of an organ or tissue. This process is known as image fusion and helps physicians make better, faster diagnosis and treatment decisions.