Preparing for your Nuclear Medicine
Duration:
Examinations can often be >2 hours
Type:
Radioisotope with Gamma camera
Prep:
Will vary depending on study. Instruction will be provided.
Notes:
Undertaken in 2 (or sometimes more) parts – injection and scan
Before your visit
We want you to feel comfortable and prepared for your scan. Here’s what to expect.
- You may need to provide a list of your current medications and answer some important safety questions (e.g., any allergies?) when you arrive – these help us ensure your scan is safe and effective
- The exam will involve at least 2 parts (inject and scan) with a waiting period, remaining within the practice, in between
- You’ll receive a small venous injection of radiotracer into the body to assess the functions of various organs or body systems
- We use a radiotracer which is a substance with a radioactive tag (such as Technetium), which mimics a normal substance in the body to assess different organs or systems. Each radiotracer can show us different body functions and parts. The radiotracer will take time to reach or pass through the area of the body to be examined. The time required is different for every tracer and system
During your scan
- Our team will position you comfortably on the NucMed table for preliminary images if required
- Later more detailed images are taken and sometimes a series of images are captured as the tracer passes through the organ system
- In some of the test procedures additional activities are undertaken to test the performance of a given organ or system. For example, you may be asked to exercise for cardiac testing. You may also be given a drug to make your kidneys excrete urine or to maximise blood flow to your heart or brain. Sometimes a test is done before and after such an activity.
Is Nuclear Medicine safe?
Most of the radiotracers are based on the isotope technetium, which has a short (6 hours) half-life and is excreted rapidly by the body after your examination.
These timing differences determine the specific scheduling of each examination. Radiotracers do involve tiny doses of radiation and do not cause any side effects during their passage through the body.
Most of the compounds used are quickly eliminated from the body. The amount of radiation for a single scan is low, and frequently repeated scans are only used when there is a clear benefit to outweigh the slight risks of repeated radiation exposure.
Further reading
Why choose GMI for your Nuclear Medicine
We use the most advanced gamma-camera CT fusion systems available in private practice in Australia.
Find out how our advanced system can give you a more confident diagnosis.
Our system combines an advanced high resolution gamma camera with a low dose CT scanner to provide accurate assessments of many different body systems. It can provide direct quantification of tracer uptake which allows a more detailed assessment for many problems.
We’re trusted by Canberra’s leading specialists and elite athletes because we deliver exceptional results. Our expertise covers every type of NucMed scan, with particular expertise in:
- Bone
- Heart (myocardial stress and perfusion imaging)
- Brain
- Lung
- Kidney
- Thyroid
Our system combines an advanced high resolution gamma camera with a low dose CT scanner to provide accurate assessments of many different body systems. It can provide direct quantification of tracer uptake which allows a more detailed assessment for many problems.
An early adopter of SPECT-CT, which combines nuclear medicine with CT images, our bone images show detail that exceeds other systems being used. This allows us to give you and your doctor more information at a lower radiation dose.
This shows how quantification of a rib lesion improves over time in response to therapy. This closely follows the patient’s PSA (prostate specific antigen.