Nuclear Medicine

Kevin Chapman demonstrates YVMC's new gamma camera used for nuclear medicine studies

What is nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is the use of radioactive isotopes to examine the structural anatomy as well as functional capacity of certain organ types.

How does it work?

Certain drugs are chemically engineered to be taken up, absorbed or metabolized by organs in the human body. In nuclear medicine, we attach a small amount of radioactivity to these drugs so that we can monitor how efficiently the organ under study achieves this process. This allows us to check anatomy while testing the function of that organ and determine if that function is appropriate. The radioactivity allows us to visualize this process as it occurs.

How do I schedule a nuclear medicine study?

Call the Diagnostic Imaging scheduling line at 970-871-2399.

What should I expect?

The vast majority of nuclear medicine exams require an intravenous injection, therefore requiring an IV at some point in the exam. A couple of exams that do not require an IV are thyroid exams and gastric emptying studies. The technologist will establish an IV in most cases, and position the patient within the proper imaging area of the camera. Depending on the exam, sometimes the injection will be monitored as it finds its way to the organ of interest and sometimes there will be delayed imaging of the tested organ.

Exam results

The results of your exam will be sent directly to your ordering physician who will share those results with you.

Patient preparation

Exam preparation will vary depending on the exam your physician has ordered.

• Bone scan

There is no preparation for bone scans. Patients are allowed to eat and drink normally. The only request the technologist will present is for the patient to remain hydrated between the injection and the scanning procedure. There is a three-hour delay between the injection of the tracer and the actual scan.

• Cardiolite

Preparation for a cardiolite consists of not eating or drinking after midnight the evening before your exam. This prep also requires stopping certain heart medications, such as beta blockers, for an amount of time that the ordering physician prefers.

• Gallium

There is no preparation required for Gallium studies, although bowel prep may become necessary if scanning beyond the twenty four hour time frame.

• Gastric emptying

Prep for a gastric emptying study is nothing by mouth (NPO) after midnight the evening before your exam.

• HIDA scan:

HIDA scans have to do with the function of a patient’s gallbladder, and require having nothing by mouth (NPO) after midnight the evening before your exam date.

• Thyroid uptake and scan

Thyroid imaging requires three things for a proper preparation:
Patients are to be off of thyroid hormones (T4 for 21 days, and T3 for at least 7 days)
Patient must not be taking anti-thyroid medication for at least 7 days
Patients must have not had intrathecal or intravenous contrast injections for at least three weeks.

• Lung perfusion/ventilation

There is no preparation for lung scans performed in nuclear medicine.

• Lymphoscintigraphy
• Prep for breast lymphoscintigraphy consists of showing up 45 minutes early to have a numbing cream applied to the area of study.
• For melanoma lymphoscintigraphy imaging, no preparation is required.

• Red blood cell tag study (MUGA scan, GI blood loss study)

There is no preparation required for Red Blood Cell Tag studies.

• Renogram (renogram, captopril renogram, renogram with Lasix washout)

For renogram exams the patient only needs to be well-hydrated and allowed to void before the beginning of the exam.