Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are noninvasive and painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose medical conditions.  It involves the use of small amounts of radioactive materials to help diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Nuclear medicine determines the cause of the medical problem based on the function of the organ, tissue or bone.

Nuclear medicine tests (also known as scans, examinations, or procedures) are safe and painless. In a nuclear medicine test, the radioactive material, or tracer, is introduced into the body by injection, swallowing, or inhalation. A variety of tracers are used to study different organs of the body. The amount of tracer used is carefully selected to provide the least amount of radiation exposure to the patient but ensure an accurate test.

A special camera (scintillation or gamma camera) is used to take pictures of your body. The camera detects the tracer in the organ, bone or tissue being imaged and then records this information on a computer screen or on film.

Generally, nuclear medicine tests are not recommended for pregnant women because unborn babies have a greater sensitivity to radiation than children or adults.