NUCLEAR MEDICINE
At Imaging Associates we offer diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine at our Mat-Su Bogard Road location.
What is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty that uses very small amounts of radioactive substances, or tracers, to diagnose or treat disease. Tracers are attracted to specific organs, bones, or tissues in the body. They produce emissions, which can be imaged with a special type of camera called a gamma camera. Nuclear medicine differs from an x-ray, ultrasound or other diagnostic test because it determines the presence of disease based on biological changes rather than changes in anatomy. Our physicians interpret the images to determine the cause of the medical problem.
How do I prepare?
You’ll be given specific instructions depending on your exam or treatment. Some exams require no preparations while others require you follow a specific dietary and other guidelines 24 hours prior to your appointment. Please call Imaging Associates of Providence at 357-1220 for prep instructions.
What can I expect?
Nuclear medicine procedures are safe, effective and painless. Before the test begins, you will be given a small amount of radioactive material, called a radioisotope, which will be injected or swallowed. There should be little or no discomfort involved in the test.
How the test is performed depends on the type of scan your provider has ordered. In many cases, there will be a delay between the time you are given the isotope and the time the scan is actually made. This allows the isotope time to flow through the body and concentrate in the organ to be examined. In some cases, a series of scans will be taken with a delay of an hour or two between them.
In most studies, you’ll lie comfortably on a table as a large camera is positioned over your body and moved or rotated around you, depending on the test. The camera senses the radioactive substance and highlights and displays this information on a screen or film.
Tracers are generally administered by injection into an arm vein, but they may also be inhaled or swallowed. Side effects or adverse reactions are rare, and patients will feel no effect from the tracer itself.
Sometimes a waiting period is required before imaging begins to give the tracer time to accumulate in the area being studied.
Kinds of Tests & Treatments
Nuclear medicine is used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes for hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. At Imaging Associates, we offer:
- Bone Scans
- Brain Scans
- Cardiac Testing
- Thyroid, Kidney, Liver, and Gallbladder Studies
- Breast Imaging
- Gastro-intestinal Bleeding Scans
- Gastric Emptying Studies
- Scans to evaluate infections and tumors
- Thyroid therapy
Is Nuclear Medicine Safe?
Nuclear medicine procedures are among the safest diagnostic imaging exams available. The amount of radiopharmaceutical used is carefully selected to provide the least amount of radiation exposure to the patient but to ensure an accurate test. Because such a small amount of the radiopharmaceutical is used, the amount of radiation received from a nuclear medicine procedure is comparable to, or often times less than, that of a diagnostic x-ray.
The nuclear medicine team will carefully perform the most appropriate examination for your particular medical problem — and thus avoid any unnecessary radiation exposure. Although we don’t think much about it, everyone is continually exposed to radiation from natural and manmade sources. For most people, natural background radiation from air and space, rocks, soil, and even atoms in your own body, accounts for 85 percent of the radiation you receive annually. Additional exposure to radiation comes from consumer products such as household smoke detectors, color television sets, and luminous clock dials. The remaining radiation is from x-rays and radioactive materials used for medical diagnosis and therapy. Most nuclear medicine procedures expose patients to about the same amount of radiation as they receive in a few months of normal living.
How do I get the results?
After your study is done, the images will be evaluated by one of our board-certified radiologists and a preliminary report will be faxed to your provider. The official final report will be sent to your provider within 24-48 hours. Your provider can then discuss the results with you in detail.
Who do I call with questions?
Questions about the results of your exam should be directed to your primary healthcare provider. For any other questions or concerns, please feel free to call us directly.
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