Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine
Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine:
Nuclear medicine involves the use of small amounts of radioactive materials (or tracers) to help diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Nuclear medicine determines the cause of the medical problem based on the function of the organ, tissue, or bone. This is how nuclear medicine differs from an X-ray, ultrasound, or any other diagnostic test that determines the presence of disease based on structural appearance.
Overview:
Nuclear medicine involves the use of small amounts of radioactive materials (or tracers) to help diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Nuclear medicine determines the cause of the medical problem based on the function of the organ, tissue, or bone. This is how nuclear medicine differs from an X-ray, ultrasound, or any other diagnostic test that determines the presence of disease based on structural appearance.
Types of Nuclear Imaging:
Types of nuclear imaging include:
- Bone density scan: An enhanced form of X-ray technology that is used to measure bone loss or density.
- Cardiac PET perfusion: An evaluation of the blood flow (perfusion) to the walls of your heart using a high-resolution PET scanner. Usually performed using a cardiac stress test.
- Cardiac PET sarcoid: Similar to Cardiac PET Viability except with different eating instructions before the exam. An evaluation of the functional status of the heart (viability) and whether the heart has suffered permanent damage from sarcoidosis.
- Cardiac PET viability: An evaluation of the functional status of the heart (viability) and whether the heart has suffered permanent damage.
- Cardiac SPECT perfusion: An evaluation of the blood flow (perfusion) to the walls of your heart. Usually performed using a cardiac stress test.
- PET/CT scanning: Combined PET/CT scans provide images that pinpoint the location of abnormal metabolic activity within the body. The combined scans have been shown to provide more accurate diagnoses than the two scans performed separately.