What is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear Imaging is a specialized area of radiology which images organs and body functions through the emission of radioactive materials given to the patient. Nuclear medicine examines your body’s organs by using very small doses of radioisotopes.
The special camera used to detect and create the images used by the radiologist to interpret your scan is placed near the body part to be imaged. Remember, the radioactivity from the isotope is transferred from you to the camera. The dose is very small so the camera must be fairly close.
Nuclear medicine examinations are very safe, and the isotope used is a very small amount. These isotopes are attracted to specific body tissues, such as bone, liver, lung, heart or brain, producing images detected by a special type of camera. The camera produces images that are read and interpreted by our radiologist.
Preparation for a Nuclear Medicine Exam
The preparation will vary for each body part to be examined. Preparation instructions will be given when the exam is scheduled. Please inform the staff if you are pregnant.
Exam Time
Each nuclear medicine exam takes a different length of time to complete. For example, a gall bladder exam is about one and a half hours. A thyroid exam is taken over a 24-hour period. The exam is performed at 6 hours and again at 24 hours.
Exam Results
After your exam, the radiologist will review your images, and a report will be sent directly to your physician. Reports are available within 24 to 72 hours.