Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty that is a safe, painless effective technique to image the body and treat disease. Nuclear Medicine imaging is unique in that it records organ function and structure, instead of diagnostic radiology, which is based upon anatomy. It is a way to gather medical information that may otherwise be unavailable, require surgery or more expensive diagnostic tests.

Nuclear Medicine imaging procedures often identify abnormalities very early in the progression of a disease long before some medical problems are found with other diagnostic tests. This early detection allows a disease to be treated early in its course when there could be a more successful outcome.

Nuclear Medicine imaging procedures use very small amounts of radioactive materials or radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose and treat disease. It is these substances that are attracted to specific organs, bones or tissues. The radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine emit gamma rays that can be detected externally by special types of cameras: Gamma or Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) cameras. These cameras work in conjunction with computers used to form images that provide data and information about the area of the body being imaged. The amount of radiation from Nuclear Medicine procedures is comparable to that received during an x-ray.

American College of Radiology accredited Nuclear Medicine.

NUCLEAR MEDICINE PREP INFO