Nuclear Medicine

Overview

Nuclear Medicine is a subspecialty within the Radiology Department. It is a full-service department which performs both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. All staff physicians are either board certified in nuclear medicine or are radiologists with special competency certification in nuclear radiology.

Nuclear medicine scans use a gamma camera to take pictures of certain tissues in the body after a radioactive tracer (radionuclide or radioisotope) accumulates in the tissues. The radioactive tracer helps make the tissues visible on the scanning pictures.

Each type of tissue that may be scanned (including bones, organs, glands, and blood vessels) uses a different radioactive compound as a tracer. The tracer remains in the body temporarily before it is eliminated as waste, usually in the urine or stool.

Generally, radiation to the patient is similar to that resulting from a standard x-ray test.

• Bone Scan
  A bone scan is a nuclear scanning test that identifies new areas of bone growth or breakdown.
• Brain with Vascular Flow
  The cerebral blood flow (CBF) study involves the injection of a mild radioactive isotope into the blood stream.
• Cardiac Nuclear Imaging
  Cardiac nuclear medicine tests are indicated for individuals with unexplained chest pain or chest pain brought on by exercise to permit the early detection of heart disease.
  
• Gallbladder Scan
  A gallbladder scan is a nuclear scanning test that is done to evaluate gallbladder function.
• Gallium Scan
  A gallium scan is a nuclear medicine test that uses a special camera to take pictures of specific tissues in the body after a radioactive tracer makes them visible.
• Gastric Emptying Study
  
• Liver and Spleen Scan
  A liver and spleen scan is a nuclear scanning test that is done to evaluate these organs for disease.
• Lung Scan
  A lung scan is a nuclear scanning test that is most commonly used to detect a blood clot that is preventing normal blood flow to part of a lung.
• PET Scan
  Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a test that combines computed tomography (CT) and nuclear scanning.
• Renal Scan
  A renal scan is a nuclear scanning test that is done to evaluate kidney function.