Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty that uses small amounts of radioactive substances combined with a special carrier molecule to diagnose and treat diseases. The procedure is painless and non-invasive. It combines the skills of physicians (radiologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, pulmonologists and nephrologists), medical physicists, radiochemists and pharmacists.

A nuclear medicine scan looks at the function of organs and tissues rather than how they look. This type of imaging is used to detect and assess many diseases such as thyroid disorders, heart disease and bone problems. Nuclear medicine can also be used to help guide therapy and evaluate whether treatment is working.

What Is Nuclear Medicine? A Beginner’s Guide to Modern Diagnostics

Most nuclear medicine tests are done on an outpatient basis, although some may be performed while you are hospitalized. You will lie on an exam table and a nurse or technologist will give you the radiotracer through a vein, usually in your arm or hand. The tracer travels to the area of interest and is detected by a gamma camera. The images are then digitally produced on a computer and transmitted to a nuclear medicine physician for interpretation.

The total radiation exposure from most nuclear medicine scans is less than what you receive from a chest X-ray or CT exam. It is also far lower than that from most dental X-rays.