What kinds of diseases can nuclear medicine diagnose?
Nuclear medicine procedures can provide early diagnosis of many diseases and have become essential to specialists in urology, orthopedics, oncology, cardiology and neurology. They can determine whether certain organs are functioning normally, monitor the effects of surgery or medical treatment and identify tumors deep within the body. For example, nuclear medicine can show whether or not the heart muscle is receiving adequate amounts of blood in patients with congenital heart disease or following cardiac surgery. It can assess the blood flow to the brain and tell doctors whether kidneys are functioning normally. In young athletes, nuclear medicine can locate bone stress before it can be seen on an X-ray; it can also detect infection within the bones. In addition, nuclear medicine can assess the function of renal, cardiac and liver transplants.
