Nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts of radioactive materials called “radiotracers” that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The “radiotracer” travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures and offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages.
We can assist your physician in viewing, monitoring, or diagnosing:-
- Tumors
- Blood flow and function of the heart
- Respiratory and blood-flow problems in the lungs
- Organ function – of the kidney, bowel, gallbladder and others such as bone imaging
Our AnyScan SPECT – Nuclear camera offers speed and accuracy for total body imaging including Cardiac perfusion studies.
For most nuclear scans, you will lie down on a table and a nuclear imaging camera will be used to capture the image of the area being examined. The camera is either suspended over or below the exam table or in a large donut-shaped machine similar to a CT scanner. While the images are being obtained, you must remain as still as possible.
Usually, no special preparation is needed. However, if the exam is done to evaluate the stomach, you may be asked to refrain from eating immediately before the test. If the exam is done to evaluate the kidneys, you may need to drink plenty of water before the test.
Although imaging time can vary, the exam generally takes 45 minutes to an hour.
A radiopharmaceutical, known as a tracer, is usually administered either intravenously or by mouth. What radiopharmaceutical is used and when the imaging will be performed is dependent upon the type of exam you’re having. Most of the radioactivity is expelled out of your body in urine or stool. The rest simply disappears over time.