Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body. Because nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, they offer the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages as well as a patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions.
Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are noninvasive and, with the exception of intravenous injections, are usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose and evaluate medical conditions. These imaging scans use radioactive molecules called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers that are compounds with a small chemical attached. In diagnostic imaging, the radioactive molecules attached to the chemical have low energy and is used to detect diseased or abnormal tissue.
Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam, the radiotracer is either injected into the body, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of the body being examined. Radioactive emissions from the radiotracer are detected by a special camera or imaging device that produces pictures and provides molecular information.
Nuclear medicine also offers therapeutic procedures, such as radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy that use small amounts of radioactive material to treat cancer and other medical conditions affecting the thyroid gland, as well as treatments for other cancers and medical conditions. The chemical attached to the radioactive material has high energy, compared to the low energy chemical in diagnostic nuclear medicine, which kills diseased tissue.
Radioembolization is a minimally invasive procedure similar to chemoembolization where tiny glass or resin beads filled with the radioactive isotope yttrium, Y-90, are placed inside the blood vessel feeding a tumor. This prevents blood supply to the cancer cells and delivers a high dose of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radioembolization is used to treat liver cancer in patients who are not candidates for other treatment options. It is a palliative treatment, which means it extends and improves the quality of life but does not provide a cure.
Yes. The radiation dose from a nuclear medicine study is similar to the x-ray radiation dose. All radiopharmaceuticals are approved by the FDA and follow strict government standards. Radioactivity is usually eliminated from the body within 24 hours. There are no side effects to Nuclear Radiology tests.
Yes. Let your tech know if: