Nuclear medicine imaging is a process of producing images by identifying radiation from several regions of the body after a radioactive tracer is given to the patient. The pictures are digitally produced on a computer and transferred to a nuclear medicine physician, who reads the images to make a diagnosis.

Radioactive tracers are commonly used in nuclear medicine that are injected into a vein. The radiation a patient receives in a nuclear medicine scan tends to be very minimal. The key difference between nuclear medicine imaging and other radiology procedure is that it determines how organs function, whereas other imaging procedures, assess the anatomy.
Nuclear medicine
The advantage of nuclear medicine is that it supports physicians to confirm diagnoses and help in planning treatments for the region of the body being assessed.

Uses Of Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is an advanced medical approach used to diagnose a broad range of health conditions. The patient will be asked to inhale, swallow or be injected with a radiopharmaceutical substance. After taking the compound, the patient will be asked to lie down on a table, while a camera takes detailed images.

The camera will mainly focus on the region where the radioactive material is deposited, and this will help the doctor identify the problem and where it is.

Types Of Imaging Techniques

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)

Both PET and SPECT scans can offer a detailed picture of how a human body organ is functioning.

Also Read: PET Scan: Know Why It Is Done And What To Expect?

Nuclear medicine is beneficial for diagnosing thyroid conditions, gallbladder problems, cardiovascular conditions and cancer. Also, it helps in diagnosing neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and brain conditions.

Previously diagnosing internal issues often required surgery, but nuclear medicine had made this avoidable. After diagnosis, PET and SPECT can reveal how well the treatment is effective in curing the conditions. PET and SPECT are also delivering new insights into psychiatric conditions, neurological problems and drug addiction.

Nuclear medicine also involves targeted molecular ultrasound imaging which is beneficial in detecting different types of cancer and highlighting blood flow and magnetic resonance sonography, which assist in diagnosing cancer and metabolic disorders.

Also Read: Cancer In Male: 15 Early Warning Signs That Men Should Not Ignore

Purpose Of The Test

Nuclear imaging medicine is mainly used to diagnose or treat diseases. Some of the conditions diagnosed by nuclear imaging include:

  • Blood disorders
  • Thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism
  • Heart disease
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Lung problems
  • Bone problems
  • Kidney disease
  • Cancer

Nuclear medicine is also used to treat health conditions or to evaluate how the treatment is working. Radioimmunotherapy is a treatment option that combines radiation and immunotherapy to provide radiation accurately to a targeted region.

What To Expect?

A patient who is going for nuclear medicine diagnosis or treatment should inform the healthcare provider if they are pregnant or breastfeeding or if they are expecting.

The patient has to wear a hospital gown or loose-fitting clothes without jewellery and other metal-base accessories. However, while undergoing treatment for the thyroid with I-131, no special equipment is required. A single, prepared dose will be given by mouth and it is a one-time treatment.

The patient should not eat or drink after dinner on the day of the treatment. If the treatment is for a thyroid condition, the doctor will usually advise them to stop taking their regular thyroid medication between the 3rd and 7th day before the treatment. The patient can come back home after the dose or they may have to stay overnight in the hospital. As the body will not absorb all the radioactive iodine, it will continue to leave the system over the next 2 to 5 days.

Patients should avoid contact with other people as far as possible, mainly with infants and pregnant women. Most of the iodine will leave the system through the urine, but it is also eliminated via tears, sweat, saliva, vaginal discharge, and faeces.

Also, women are advised to avoid becoming pregnant for 6 to 12 months post-treatment. Also, those planning to travel immediately after the treatment should get a letter from the doctor, as radioactivity may show up on scanning machines at airports.

Why Does The Doctor Order A Nuclear Medicine Scan?

Nuclear medicine scans can help doctors clearly identify the tumours and see how far cancer has spread in the body (stages of cancer). It may also be beneficial to determine if a particular treatment is working or not.

Is Nuclear Medicine Imaging Safe?

Nuclear imaging is a safe, painless, and cost-effective approach to obtaining minute details that may be otherwise unavailable or need a more expensive and riskier test. A distinct feature of nuclear imaging tests is their extreme sensitivity to abnormalities in an organ’s function.