The Nuclear Medicine Department specializes in imaging organs and tissues that are hard to see on standard X-rays. For these scans, doctors inject small amounts of radioactive substances — called radiotracers or radiopharmaceuticals — into the body. Then, a special camera (gamma scanner) takes images of the tracer as it travels through the body. The images provide information about how well an organ or tissue is working. URL https://int.livhospital.com/nuclear-medicine/

A doctor selects the best radiopharmaceutical for a particular patient’s health problem. The radiotracer is given by intravenous injection, swallowing, or inhalation. The total amount of radiation you receive from a diagnostic nuclear medicine exam is no more than what you would be exposed to during many routine X-ray or CT exams. Nuclear medicine physicians are very careful to limit your radiation exposure and only use the amount of radiation needed to diagnose disease.

Inside the Nuclear Medicine Department: What Patients Can Expect

After a nuclear medicine procedure, the images are sent to a physician who interprets them. The doctor will then discuss the results with you.

Nuclear medicine imaging tests are very precise and can detect diseases in their early stages, when they may not be apparent with other types of medical imaging. The tests also identify how well a treatment is working and help doctors decide whether the treatment needs to be modified.

A specialized type of nuclear medicine is nuclear cardiology stress testing, which helps detect and treat cardiovascular disease by measuring blood flow to the heart. Our team includes highly specialized nuclear cardiologist/radiologists with extensive experience performing and interpreting these complex studies.