Just the name sounds scarey but Nuclear Medicine is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it is one of the most informative tools the physician has to diagnose patients. I am sure you have heard of Bone scans, thyroid scans, etc. There are a host of exams that are performed in this department, and that list is still growing. Today doctors can examine the function of the heart with a SPECT scan, which is done in NM. It's an amazing area that is seeing new technology every day.
When you ask just How this all works, well..it is pretty complicated. Basically, the patient is injected with a Radioisotope that is mixed with a substance specifically targeted to a certain organ or body part. Then the patient lies on a table underneath a camera which will rotate around them while taking pictures. It is a simple and painless procedure and in many cases not very lengthy. There are some constraints on eating, etc..but they are explained prior to the procedure. The only radiation you get from these procedures is from the radioisotopes, and it is not very much. It will vary for each procedure so you can ask the technologist about it if you are concerned.
Nuclear Medicine can be used for a variety of things, such as, to check for metastisis or spreading of cancers, gall bladder function, heart function,loosening of hardware. Doctors can actually use a radioisotope to treat patients with hyperthyroidism. So, if your physician recommends a procedure to be done in Nuclear Medicine don't be alarmed, and I hope this has provided some insight for you.
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Thanks for sharing. More people need to spread the knowledge that nuclear medicine saves lives! My uncle's cancer was detected early thanks to advanced nuclear medicine techniques.
http://www.radiology.ucsf.edu/china-basin-imaging/cardiac-imaging-services
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