Radiology/Imaging
Nuclear Medicine
What is a nuclear medicine scan?
Nuclear Medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses
very small amounts of radioactive materials, or
radiopharmaceuticals, to examine organ function and
structure. Nuclear medicine imaging is a combination of many
different disciplines, including chemistry, physics, mathematics,
computer technology, and medicine. Nuclear Medicine procedures are
used to help diagnose and treat abnormalities in the many different
types of medical conditions of a disease.
At Lahey Outpatient Center, Danvers we have the ability to
perform Whole
Body Scans to detect the spread or return of thyroid cancer
cells.
Nuclear Medicine enables visualization of organ and tissue
structures as well as function when a small amount of a radioactive
tracer is absorbed by body tissue. Several different types of
radionuclides are available including forms of the elements
technetium, thallium, gallium, iodine, and xenon. The type of
radionuclide used depends on the type of study and body part being
studied.
What are some common
procedures?
- Bone
scans
- Heart
scans
- Renal
scans
- Thyroid scans
- HIDA
scans
What can I expect during and after a nuclear
medicine procedure?
Patients undergoing a nuclear medicine procedure are
administered either intravenously or orally a small amount of the
appropriate radionuclide for the organ or body system being
studied. After the radionuclide is administered, the
procedure may take place immediately or up to several hours or days
later. It depends on how long it takes for a particular
radionuclide to travel through the body and accumulate in the site
being studied.
Once the radionuclide has collected in the body tissue under
study, a small amount of radiation will be given off. The
amount of radiation to the patient during a nuclear medicine
procedure is small, similar to that resulting from standard
X-rays.
This radiation is detected by a gamma camera and digital signals
are produced and stored by a computer. In planar imaging, the gamma
camera remains stationary. The images are two-dimensional
(2D) of the body area or organ being studied. Single photon
emission computed tomography, or SPECT, produces axial "slices" of
the organ in question because the gamma camera rotates around the
patient, similar to images captured in CT.
The Radiologist can access and diagnose various conditions in
the body such as tumors, abscesses, infection, organ enlargement,
organ function and blood circulation.
The areas where the radionuclide collects in greater amounts are
called "hot spots".
During a nuclear medicine exam, you will be asked to lie down on
a scanning table and remain very still while the images are being
obtained.
Our Nuclear Medicine Technologists will talk to you in detail
about what you can expect before, during and after nuclear medicine
procedures and answer any questions you have.
Because patient care is our top priority, we employ equipment
and quality control as well as radiopharmaceutical quality
assurance to insure that we are producing the highest image quality
for both interpretation and diagnosis.
