Nuclear Medicine is a part of Medical Imaging that provides information on how different organs in the body are functioning. Radioactive tracers are introduced into the body by injection into the blood stream, inhaled or swallowed. Radioactive tracers are very small amounts of radioactivity that are attached to molecules that goes to the specific organ. The radioactive tracer emits gamma rays that is picked up by the Nuclear Medicine Gamma Camera. The camera is very sensitive, which allows us to use a very small amount of radioactivity. The tracers are extremely sensitive and allow for identification of disease in its earliest stages. 

Some of the common procedures in Nuclear Medicine are:

Bone Scan – The patient is injected with a radioactive tracer that acts similar to calcium in the body. When the patient is scanned under the gamma camera it is able to detect cancer that is in the bone or has spread to the bone from other areas. It is also able to detect infection in the bone. The gamma camera is sensitive enough to pick up stress fractures before they become positive on x-rays.

Hepatibiliary Study (Gallbladder Imaging) – The patient is injected with a radioactive tracer that used in the formation of bile. It will be picked up from the blood stream and excreted into the gallbladder. When the gallbladder contracts, it goes into the small bowel. This study demonstrates if there is any blockage in the Hepatobiliary system. This study can also quantify, by percentage, how well the gallbladder is functioning.

Gastric Empty – The patient eats a standardized meal of egg beaters, toast and jelly.  Cooked in the egg beaters is a small amount of a radioactive tracer. This tracer is followed over the course of 4 hours and will be able to determine how much of the meal was digested at each hour.

Thyroid Uptake and Scan – The patient swallows a small amount of radioactive iodine. This radioactive iodine will be collected by the thyroid gland. The patient will return later that day and the next day. This will demonstrate the percentage of tracer (the uptake) that is picked up each time and it will also show a picture of the thyroid gland (the scan).

Cardiac Nuclear Medicine is among the safest diagnostic imaging procedures available for the heart today. The Nuclear Medicine images are unique because it provides information about structure and function of the heart. 

A Nuclear Medicine Stress test measures the health of the heart muscle by studying how the heart reacts under stress conditions and rest conditions. The most common form of stress test combines some form of mild exercise on a treadmill with an electrocardiogram (EKG). If the patient is unable to exercise, medications are available to simulate stress without the patient having to walk on the treadmill. 

A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected into the bloodstream while the patient is under stress conditions by either walking on the treadmill or utilizing a medication to simulate stress. Once the tracer is circulating through the heart muscle, images are taken on the gamma camera. Images are also taken when the patient is under resting conditions. 

This is a noninvasive, generally safe and painless test to gain invaluable information on the function of the heart. The Nuclear Medicine Stress is ordered for a number of reasons:

• To diagnose heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease 
• To diagnose a heart related course of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness.
• To look at exercise capacity in heart failure patients who are being considered for a heart transplant or those who wish to increase their level of exercise.
• To check the effectiveness of a cardiac stent, cardiac by-pass or other procedures.
• To predict the future risk of dangerous heart related conditions such as ischemia.