Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses
very small amounts of radioactive materials, or
radiopharmaceuticals, to examine organ function. It is often
used to help diagnose and treat abnormalities very early in the
disease lifecycle.
Nuclear medicine specialists administer
radiopharmaceuticals to patients and then monitor the tissues or
organs in which the drugs localize. They operate special
cameras that detect and map the radioactive drug in a patient's
body. Abnormal areas show higher-than-expected or
lower-than-expected concentrations of radioactivity.
Nuclear medicine differs from other diagnostic imaging
technologies because it often determines the presence of disease on
the basis of metabolic changes, rather than changes in organ
structure.
Common Nuclear Scans
Some of the more commonly performed nuclear medicine
scans:
- Bone scans - used to evaluate any degenerative and/or arthritic
changes in the joints, to detect bone diseases and tumors, and/or
to determine the cause of bone pain or inflammation.
- Brain scans - used to investigate problems within the brain
and/or in the blood circulation to the brain.
- Gallium scans (White cell scans) - used to diagnose
active infectious and/or inflammatory diseases, tumors, and
abscesses.
- Heart scans - used to identify abnormal blood flow to the
heart, to determine the extent of the damage of the heart muscle
after a heart attack, and/or to measure heart function.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - measures important body
functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and sugar (glucose)
metabolism, to help doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues
are functioning.
- Renal scans - used to examine the kidneys and to detect any
abnormalities, such as tumors or obstruction of the renal blood
flow.
- Thyroid scans - used to evaluate thyroid function
Our nuclear medicine radiologists have mastered the most
advanced and complex treatments available and perform the full
breadth of nuclear medicine radiology tests and procedures.
Providers
Ronald
Christianson, MD
Wolfgang
Dähnert, MD
Scott Gage,
MD
Robert Haller,
MD
John Lee, MD
Edward M.
Wineck, MD