The need for more images does not necessarily mean there was a problem with the exam or that something is abnormal. It should not cause you concern. If you have an intravenous IV line for the procedure, your technologist will usually remove it. The technologist will leave it in place if you are to have another procedure that same day that requires an IV line.
For patients with thyroid disease who undergo radioactive iodine I therapy, which is most often an outpatient procedure, the radioactive iodine is swallowed, either in capsule or liquid form. Radioimmunotherapy RIT , also typically an outpatient procedure, is delivered through injection. IMIBG therapy for neuroblastoma is administered by injection into the blood stream. Children are admitted to the hospital for treatment as an inpatient and will stay overnight in a specially prepared room.
Special arrangements are made for parents to allow participation in the care of their child while undergoing this therapy. Except for intravenous injections, most nuclear medicine procedures are painless. Reports of significant discomfort or side effects are rare. You will feel a slight pin prick when the technologist inserts the needle into your vein for the intravenous line. You may feel a cold sensation moving up your arm during the radiotracer injection.
Generally, there are no other side effects. Radiotracers have little or no taste. Inhaling a radiotracer feels no different than breathing the air around you or holding your breath. With some procedures, the technologist may place a catheter into your bladder. This may cause temporary discomfort. It is important to remain still during the exam. Nuclear imaging causes no pain. However, having to remain still or in one position for long periods may cause discomfort.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you may resume your normal activities after your exam. A technologist, nurse, or doctor will provide you with any necessary special instructions before you leave. The small amount of radiotracer in your body will lose its radioactivity over time through the natural process of radioactive decay. It may also pass out of your body through your urine or stool during the first few hours or days after the test. Drink plenty of water to help flush the material out of your body.
See Safety in Nuclear Medicine Procedures for more information. You will be informed as to how often and when you will need to return to the nuclear medicine department for further procedures. A radiologist or other doctor specially trained in nuclear medicine will interpret the images and send a report to your referring physician. Nuclear medicine procedures can be time consuming.
It can take several hours to days for the radiotracer to accumulate in the area of interest. Plus, imaging may take up to several hours to perform. In some cases, newer equipment can substantially shorten the procedure time.
However, nuclear medicine scans are more sensitive for a variety of indications. The functional information they yield is often unobtainable using other imaging techniques.
Please type your comment or suggestion into the text box below. Note: we are unable to answer specific questions or offer individual medical advice or opinions. Some imaging tests and treatments have special pediatric considerations. The teddy bear denotes child-specific content. Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician.
To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database. This website does not provide cost information.
The costs for specific medical imaging tests, treatments and procedures may vary by geographic region. Web page review process: This Web page is reviewed regularly by a physician with expertise in the medical area presented and is further reviewed by committees from the Radiological Society of North America RSNA and the American College of Radiology ACR , comprising physicians with expertise in several radiologic areas.
Outside links: For the convenience of our users, RadiologyInfo. Toggle navigation. What is General Nuclear Medicine? What are some common uses of the procedure? How should I prepare? What does the equipment look like? How does the procedure work? How is the procedure performed? What will I experience during and after the procedure? Who interprets the results and how do I get them? What are the benefits vs. What are the limitations of General Nuclear Medicine?
Diagnosis Nuclear medicine is noninvasive. In children, nuclear medicine is also used to: investigate abnormalities in the esophagus , such as esophageal reflux or motility disorders evaluate the openness of tear ducts evaluate the openness of ventricular shunts in the brain assess congenital heart disease for shunts and pulmonary blood flow.
You may wear a gown during the exam or be allowed to wear your own clothing. Your doctor will tell you how to prepare for your specific exam.
A computer creates the images using the data from the gamma camera. Doctors perform nuclear medicine exams on outpatients and hospitalized patients. However, having to remain still or in one position for long periods may cause discomfort Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you may resume your normal activities after your exam.
Benefits Nuclear medicine exams provide unique information that is often unattainable using other imaging procedures. Today, nuclear and molecular diagnostic imaging studies are available for virtually every major organ system in the body. The number of nuclear medicine—based therapies for cancer and other disorders is also expanding.
In this patient, the CT scan A is negative for disease recurrence. However, the PET scan B shows a spot suggesting malignancy. In the laboratory, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging technologies are helping scientists in a variety of disciplines gain a better understanding of the molecular pathways and mechanisms of disease. By helping researchers quickly assess new therapies, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging are also contributing to the accelerated development of new and more effective drugs.
Probes, which are designed to accumulate in a specific organ or attach to certain cells, enable cell activity and biological processes to be visualized and measured. In nuclear medicine, the imaging agent is a compound that includes a small amount of radioactive material called a radiotracer.
Radiotracers which are also called radiopharmaceuticals or radionuclides produce a signal that can be detected by a gamma camera or a positron emission tomography PET scanner. Non-nuclear molecular imaging modalities, including optical imaging and targeted ultrasound, use nonradioactive probes such as light or sound. MR spectroscopy uses differences in magnetism to measure chemical levels in the body without the use of a probe.
PET imaging with the radiotracer FDG is one of the most significant diagnostic imaging tools ever developed. Most PET studies today are combined with computed tomography CT studies in order to better locate areas of abnormal cell activity.
FDG is a compound similar to glucose, or sugar, which accumulates in areas of the body that are most metabolically active using glucose at a high rate. In addition to FDG, other PET radiotracers are available to visualize a large variety of cancerous and noncancerous processes. A gamma camera then rotates around the patient, collecting data to create three-dimensional images of radiotracer distribution that reveal information on blood flow and organ function. PET is a powerful tool for diagnosing cancer and determining the severity and extent of cancer.
PET scans are one of the most effective means of detecting a recurrence of disease. PET scans are also increasingly being used to quickly assess how a patient responds to cancer treatment. In some cases, PET can determine within several days whether a therapy is working, whereas it would take months to evaluate a change in the size of the tumor with CT. Researchers hope that information from PET studies will soon help physicians predict which patients will respond to a specific chemotherapy drug.
New radiotracers are also being designed to identify biological conditions within the body called biomarkers that signal the presence of cancer and to capture important information on tumors that will guide physicians in selecting the most effective treatment plan.
PET and SPECT studies are regularly used to detect blockages in the coronary arteries, assess muscle damage following a heart attack, and determine whether the heart is pumping blood adequately—especially when stressed. New radiotracers offer the potential to identify individuals at risk for sudden cardiac death or showing signs of congestive heart failure.
Both PET and SPECT are highly useful in detecting dementia, evaluating ongoing cognitive decline and identifying the area of the brain involved in seizure disorders. SPECT is also helpful in identifying the location and cause of a stroke, as well as areas of the brain that are at risk following a stroke. These are used to evaluate thyroid function or to better evaluate a thyroid nodule or mass.
Bone scans. Gallium scans. Heart scans. Brain scans. Breast scans. These are often used in conjunction with mammograms to locate cancerous tissue in the breast. As stated above, nuclear medicine scans may be performed on many organs and tissues of the body.
Each type of scan employs certain technology, radionuclides, and procedures. A nuclear medicine scan consists of 3 phases: tracer radionuclide administration, taking images, and image interpretation. The amount of time between administration of the tracer and the taking of the images may range from a few moments to a few days.
The time depends on the body tissue being examined and the tracer being used. Some scans are completed in minutes, while others may need the patient to return a few times over the course of several days. One of the most commonly performed nuclear medicine exams is a heart scan. Myocardial perfusion scans and radionuclide angiography scans are the 2 primary heart scans. In order to give an example of how nuclear medicine scans are done, the process for a resting radionuclide angiogram RNA scan is presented below.
Although each facility may have specific protocols in place, generally, a resting RNA follows this process:. The patient will be asked to remove any jewelry or other objects that may interfere with the procedure. The patient will be connected to an electrocardiogram ECG machine with electrodes leads and a blood pressure cuff will be attached to the arm. The radionuclide will be injected into the vein to "tag" the red blood cells.
Alternatively, a small amount of blood will be withdrawn from the vein so that it can be tagged with the radionuclide. The radionuclide will be added to the blood and will be absorbed into the red blood cells. After the tagging procedure, the blood will be returned into the vein through the IV tube.
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