Nuclear Medicine Provides Internal Solutions To Health Related Issues

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Procedural equipment.[/caption]Nuclear Medicine is a medical imaging practice that uses small amounts of radioactive material referred to as "radiopharmaceuticals". This material is utilized during a procedure to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases by providing pictures of the inside of a body’s cellular level.These tests are useful in helping physicians diagnose and detect many different types of early stage cancer, endocrine, gastrointestinal, heart disease and neurological issues inside of the body.Nuclear medicine scans are also known as "endoradiology" (or "radiology done inside out") due to its internal radiation, and is considered a noninvasive procedure. Outside of intravenous injections, the tests themselves are relatively painless, usually conducted by technicians called radiographers.Nuclear medicine uses radiopharmaceuticals that are given intravenously, orally, or inhaled as gas. Special imaging devices known as gamma cameras take the radiation emitted by radiopharmaceuticals, using them to create images and provide molecular information.Nuclear medicine images can be superimposed via computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging, to produce specialized views as part of an image fusion or co-registration process. These two views allow exam information for the study to lead to more precise information and accurate diagnoses.There are several types of diagnostic nuclear medicine that are used:* Two-dimensional scans utilize Scintigraphy (“scint”), that use internal radionuclides to create its imagery.* Three-dimensional scans (“SPECT”) use data from gamma camera projections, and can be reconstructed in different planes, and use coincidence detection for their processes.There are other related two-dimensional nuclear medicine scans (such as a SPECT liver scan), as well as hybrid scans that superimpose nuclear medicine scans via software or hybrid cameras to highlight parts of the body for CT or MRI exams where the radiopharmaceutical is concentrated.Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging serves patients throughout the Las Vegas valley. Book an appointment with us to improve the quality of your health and well-being.