Greenville and Washington County Nuclear Medicine

A Safe & Effective Imaging Technique

The term “nuclear medicine” makes some patients understandably cautious, but if your doctor has mentioned it to you there’s no need to be concerned. Nuclear medicine is a safe and effective imaging technique that assists in the diagnosis and treatment of many conditions. As the name implies, nuclear medicine does expose you to some radiation, but the amounts are so minimal that they can be compared to a standard X-ray. These minimally invasive procedures have been performed for over 60 years and have proven to be safe with no long-term side effects.

How Does it Work?

Nuclear medical tests involve the use of a radioactive contrast dye that is inserted into the body via injection, inhaled gas, or consumed as a liquid. This dye will be highlighted in an imaging test such as an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI. A nuclear medicine test can detect molecular activity in the body and create a visual of it in the imaging results. This makes the imaging tests more effective and accurate when diagnosing diseases or damage.

Nuclear medicine tests can be used for many purposes, including:

• Creating a visual of blood flow in the heart
• Investigating abnormalities in the brain
• Pinpointing spots to perform a biopsy
• Creating images of hard-to-spot bone fractures
• Locating infections and tumors
• Evaluating the extent of damage from arthritis
• Check for signs of internal bleeding

Before receiving the nuclear contrast dye, inform your doctor of any medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements you are taking. You may need to stop taking them for a while to prepare for your examination. Otherwise, nuclear medicine tests do not generally require much preparation and are performed on an outpatient basis.