Nuclear medicine is an Imaging subspecialty often used to image the body and treat disease. It is unique because it provides doctors with information on organs and their function. A machine called a gamma camera detects radioactive material which has been introduced into the patient's body (usually by injection) for the nuclear medicine test.

The radioactive materials used have very short half-lives. This means that they decay rapidly into a harmless material. Often, the injected radioactive material is only inside the body for a very short time, and the total dose of radiation is small -- similar, and sometimes even less than, many other kinds of X-ray procedures. About twelve million nuclear medicine exams are performed every year in the United States.

Nuclear Medicine is different from other imaging procedures in that it often allows for diagnostic information to be obtained prior to the onset of physical symptoms. For example, in a Bone Scan, the camera is able to detect metabolism changes in the bone caused by trauma, infection or invasion of tumor. The Bone Scan can see those changes in the bone weeks or months before an abnormality is detectable by X-ray.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging is a special type of nuclear medicine. For more information on PET, please visit the web page on PET Imaging.

Some procedures require patient preparation.
Click here for Patient Preparation Instructions.

Locations for Nuclear Medicine Exams
Nuclear Medicine exams are performed at the following locations:

Roper Hospital
Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital