WHAT IS NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Nuclear medicine is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of disease. Being non-invasive and cost-effective it can provide details of the functioning of an organ as well as the organ structure allowing for the diagnosis of certain medical conditions and diseases much earlier than other imaging techniques. It is increasingly valuable for early detection, treatment, and prevention of a number of medical conditions including brain tumors and stroke evaluation, blood cell disorders, breast cancer, heart disease, kidney function, thyroid function, and much more. Nuclear medicine works by introducing a low-level radioactive chemical, or radiotracer, into the body by intravenous injection, inhalation, or ingestion. The radiotracer is especially formulated to be temporarily accumulated in the specific organ or tissues to be examined. The radiotracer emits a gamma ray signal that is picked up and read by a gamma camera to result in an image that tells the story of the functioning of the organ. “Hot
