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NUCLEAR
MEDICINE
What
is Nuclear Medicine and how does it work?
What is it like to have a Nuclear Medicine
Exam?
How do I prepare for a Nuclear Medicine Exam?
How do I make an appointment?
Referral information for physicians.
Additional
information on Nuclear Medicine
What
is nuclear medicine and how does it work?
Nuclear
medicine is an innovative way to look inside your body using a radioactive
liquid that you drink or that is injected into your body. It lets
doctors see if your body's systems are working properly.
It
works as follows: A safe form of radioactive liquid is given by
mouth or IV. A few hours later, you are examined by an instrument
called a gamma camera, which measures the radiation as it travels
through your body. The camera makes digital images based on these
measurements.
The
radioactive agents used do emit some radiation, but they have short
half-lives, which means they quickly turn into harmless material.
The radiation level is very low, similar to and in some cases less
than x-ray tests.
There
are several kinds of nuclear medicine exams, and each looks at a
specific part of the body:
- Bone
scan - finds breaks, tumors, and other bone conditions that
x-rays may miss. You will be given an injection, and within a
few hours, technologists will be able to measure the effect of
the agent on the bones.
- Gallium
scan
- looks at how the heart, lungs, and blood vessels are working.
You receive an injection of gallium and return two to five days
later for imaging. Images may be taken of only a specific body
part, or the doctor may look at your whole body.
- Thyroid
uptake scan - this exam checks to see if your thyroid gland
is working well. You swallow a small amount of radioactive iodine
and then come back the next day. This exam takes about an hour.
- Cardiac
studies - several kinds of scans that check the heart and
blood vessels. One of the primary ways is a stress test. After
the injection of a radioactive agent, you are measured right away.
Then you exercise for a set amount of time and are measured again.
You are then checked later, when you are at rest. This lets us
watch blood flow around the heart during different states of activity
and checks for blockages or coronary artery disease.
- Gall
bladder scan - checks the gallbladder for tumors or gallstones.
This exam can be done within one day.
What is it like to have a nuclear medicine exam?
This
depends greatly on the kind of exam required. In most cases, the
test takes one to three hours from beginning to end. For some exams,
you'll be given an injection or asked to swallow something in a
short visit, and then come back at a later date for imaging. Some
exams include having you go through a chamber like an MRI or CT
scan machine, while others focus on a specific body area. In all
cases, you'll need to hold still during the imaging.
Your
results will be looked at by trained Nuclear Medicine Technologists,
who will analyze the images created and share their findings with
your doctor within a few days.
How
should I prepare?
Talk
to your doctor about the best way to prepare. In many cases, you'll
be asked to avoid food after midnight the day of the test. For stress
tests, you'll be asked to avoid caffeine and you may need to stop
taking your medications. Check with your doctor about what you should
do.
Diabetics,
pregnant women, and nursing mothers should talk to their doctor
before having nuclear medicine imaging.
How
do I make an appointment?
You,
or your doctor's office, can make an appointment by calling our
central scheduling office:
Central
Scheduling: 617-665-1298
To
schedule an appointment, you must have a referral order from a primary
care physician.
________________________________
Referral
information for physicians
You
can make a referral for your patients by calling:
Central
Scheduling: 617-665-1298
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