Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine imaging shows the physiological function of bone, tissues and organs, as opposed to traditional anatomical imaging such as CT or MRI.

The Test

Low-level radioactive chemicals are taken intravenously or orally. The radiation dose from nuclear medicine imaging varies greatly depending on the type of study, but it is always kept at safe levels.

Then, external detectors (gamma cameras) capture and form images from the radiation emitted by the radioactive chemicals.

While nuclear medicine images may show less detail than other types of imaging, the functional information they provide can be valuable. A diseased or poorly functioning tissue will emit a different signal than healthy tissue, thus giving the physician an indication of how the tissue or organ is functioning. So the functional image of a bone may show the disease sooner than the anatomic image provided by an X-ray or CT scan.

Using the Results

Evergreen Diagnostic Imaging is also able to superimpose the nuclear medicine scans on CT images to highlight the part of the body in which the radioactive chemicals are concentrated. This practice is referred to as PET/CT. The fusion imaging technique in nuclear medicine provides information about both the anatomy and function, which would otherwise require a more invasive procedure or surgery.