Nuclear Medicine Procedures use small amounts of radioactive material, a special camera and a computer to provide unique information that is often not available with other imaging techniques. These tests can detect disease in its earliest stages and help doctors develop the best treatment plan for you.

A Nuclear Medicine Procedures physicist (a scientist who is trained to use radiation in healthcare) will select the type of radionuclide that is best suited for your specific problem. The radionuclide is bound to a molecule that will deliver a very specific and targeted dose of radiation to the area of interest in your body. Some of these tracers emit gamma rays, which are used for diagnostic imaging, while others emit alpha or beta particles, which are more useful in therapeutic procedures.

For most diagnostic nuclear medicine studies, you will be asked to lie on a padded examination table while a gamma camera takes a series of pictures. You may be asked to hold very still because movement can affect the quality of your images. Nuclear medicine imaging tests take from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the exam being performed.

In some cases, you will be given a radionuclide that is injected into a vein and tagged to red blood cells. The tagged red blood cells travel through the body and are detected by a special camera. These images can show how well your heart is functioning and detect abnormalities such as a blockage in a blood vessel.