Nuclear Imaging Services uses small amounts of radioactive “tracers” to evaluate real-time organ function. The tracers move through the body and emit radiation that is picked up by a gamma camera. The camera produces a series of 2-D or 3-D images that can be interpreted by nuclear medicine physicians to look for disease. Nuclear medicine scans show how an organ is functioning, while other types of imaging only provide information on anatomy.

Before your exam, you will be interviewed and asked to fill out medical history forms. Then, depending on the type of test you are having, you will be injected or swallowed a small amount of the radioactive tracer. You will then wait from several minutes to hours, while the tracer moves through your body and emits gamma rays. The technologist will remain with you at all times.

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During the scan, you will lie on a padded table, while the camera takes pictures. You must be as still as possible during the scan because movement can ruin the quality of the images. The total procedure usually lasts from one-half hour to an hour.

Whether you are having a bone scan, hepatobiliary scan, renogram, thyroid scan, or non-PET oncological imaging, our highly experienced nuclear medicine physicians will interpret the images and send a report to your physician. There is a very small risk of an allergic reaction to the radionuclide used during the exam. However, the amount of radiation you receive during the exam is much less than that received from diagnostic X-rays.