Nuclear Medicine
Sophisticated imaging tools to help your medical team give you effective care
One of the specialized types of radiology for accurately diagnosing illness is nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures. We use these tools to help diagnose many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other health conditions. This valuable information makes it possible to identify and more effectively treat diseases, tumors, infections and other conditions.
Nuclear medicine imaging uses a special camera, a computer and small amounts of radioactive material, called radiopharmaceuticals. Computed tomography (CT) scans and bone density tests are examples of imaging tests available within nuclear medicine.
Healthcare providers treat a range of conditions using information captured through nuclear medicine. These include an overactive thyroid, thyroid and lymph node cancer, as well as bone pain from some types of cancer.
For your safety
Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid some nuclear medicine tests. Please be sure to inform the technologist if you are pregnant or nursing. Although it is extremely rare, you may experience an allergic reaction to the radiopharmaceutical used for nuclear imaging tests.