Nuclear medicine is the medical specialty that makes use of specific substances, the radiopharmaceuticals, in order to achieve the diagnosis of a range of diseases, and in some cases has therapeutic applications. The tests it performs are knownas scintigraphies, with the most common ones usually including bone, kidney, thyroid and myocardial scans, and are performed by qualified medical personnel.
The role of nuclear medicine is very important as it is able to provide information on organ function and cell metabolism, complementing other imaging methods that provide more anatomical (morphological) information.
The applications of Nuclear Medicine
The most common nuclear medicine tests include scintigraphy of the bones, kidneys, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, myocardium, brain and lung perfusion .
In particular, bone scintigraphy is performed to check for metastatic disease, to evaluate any malignant bone lesions, but also metabolic diseases of the bones or possible bone inflammation, such as osteomyelitis.Kidney scintigraphy, both dynamic and static, investigates the position and functionality of the kidneys, providing information on a number of conditions such as acute and chronic pyelonephritis, obstructive uropathy, etc.a.Thyroid scintigraphy aims at imaging the thyroid gland to identify a number of disorders, such as investigation of hyper- or hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, etc, scintigraphy of the parathyroid glands to identify hypofunctioning parathyroid tissue in primary hyperparathyroidism, while scintigraphy of the myocardium is performed to assess its perfusion in order to diagnose coronary artery disease and assess its treatment.
Brain perfusion scintigraphy investigates diseases such as various types of dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, while lung scintigraphy is used to detect possible pulmonary embolism and preoperative screening of patients undergoing pneumonectomy.
Nuclear medicine also has therapeutic applications, such as the administration of radioactive iodine in the case of thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism.
The scintigraphy procedure
During a scintigraphy, the radioisotope is usually administered intravenously to the subject. Once it enters the body, it is directed and concentrated in the affected area, emitting radiation, followed by imaging of the spots with the gamma camera, through the collection of the emitted radiology.
The result is to image areas with increased, decreased or stable concentration of the radioisotope, which will be evaluated accordingly by the nuclear medicine physician. Essentially, the functionality of the target organ is visualized, depending on the administered p/f, through two-dimensional images.The time of each examination varies and is performed with the subject in a usually supine position.
Scintigraphy: A safe test
Scintigraphy is a safe test. Besides, the dose administered by the radioisotope is small, but capable of providing the nuclear medicine physician with all the information needed to make a diagnosis. It is indicative that the radiation absorbed is much lower than in some radiological examinations. Radioisotopes used in diagnostic tests emit gamma radiation and very rarely cause allergies.
In fact, scintigraphy can be performed even in special categories of patients, such as infants or elderly patients and breastfeeding women, as long as breastfeeding is discontinued for a few days. Scintigraphy is not performed during pregnancy, with very few exceptions, so the examinee should inform the nuclear medicine physician in advance of a possible pregnancy.
After the test, the examinee returns to work as normal, unless it involves children, and does not need to be accompanied by someone to move. He shall be fed normally, although more hydration shall be provided for a period of two days in order to expel the radioisotope from his body more rapidly. The only instruction after the test is to avoid contact with pregnant women and young children for a period of time depending on the radiopharmaceutical administered.
In Euromedica Group , the specialized staff of our diagnostic laboratories guarantees the performance of safe and reliable Nuclear Medicine tests, with respect to all radiation protection rules. Its services include all gamma camera scintigraphies aimed at the timely and effective diagnosis of a range of diseases and disorders.