Nuclear Medicine is ideal for the early detection and staging of cancer, heart disease and
other hard-to-diagnose disorders. Also known as
Molecular Imaging, Nuclear Medicine is a subspecialty of radiology. In
other radiographic exams, x-rays are passed through the patient; however, in
Nuclear Medicine, a radioactive medication is given to the patient either
intravenously or by mouth. The radioactive medication targets the area
of interest. Once a patient has been injected or taken the radioactive
medication, a gamma camera then takes pictures of the radiation
emitted by the patient to create the images needed to diagnose a disease.
Creating multi-dimensional images to accurately depict the physiology and function
of an internal organ, Nuclear Medicine allows
various procedures such as: bone, kidney, thyroid, liver, spleen,
and gallbladder scans, as well as lung ventilation
perfusion scans, brain perfusion and function, cardiac perfusion and function, and
red and white blood cell studies.
Nuclear Medicine also offers an advanced
cardiac program which allows computer imaging of the heart in motion. Being able to
watch the heart function on the computer screen helps physicians study blood flow and
determine heart damage, if any. This is a non-invasive procedure that physicians can
utilize in an effort to avoid the more expensive, risky, invasive procedures such as
cardiac catherization. The heart image can be manipulated on the screen to allow the
physician views of the beating heart from numerous angles.