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Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine imaging serves to diagnose or care for any anomaly within a patient’s anatomy and its operation during the beginning stages of illness. Patients undergoing nuclear medicine should understand the procedure is relatively painless and the exposure to radiation is compatible to that of a diagnostic x-ray.

Nuclear medicine is a medical imaging specialty used to identify and care for particular illnesses using less intrusive measures than extensive testing or surgery. This is done by dispensing a combination of chemicals with radioactive nuclide medicine either intravenously, orally, or through inhalation.

WHAT WE USE IT FOR

Southwestern Medical Center’s department of radiology may use nuclear medicine for:

  • Bone scans
  • Heart scans
  • Lung scan
  • Muga scans
  • Renal scan
  • Parathyroid scan
  • Thyroid uptake and scan