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Nuclear Medicine Department |
Common Scans Cardiac Stress Tests PET - Positron Emission Tomography |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
The Nuclear Medicine Department, located on the 3rd floor, is open from 6:30 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday and staffed by certified nuclear medicine technologists and board certified nuclear medicine and nuclear cardiology physicians. What is Nuclear Medicine? Nuclear Medicine performs diagnostic imaging to look at the function of organs and detect diseases in the body. A radioactive material is injected into the arm or given by mouth so that imaging may be performed. The material will not make you sick and gives off about the same amount of radiation as having a chest x-ray. A wide variety of organs may be examined such as the thyroid, heart, gallbladder, liver, bones, and stomach, to name a few. Bone Scans
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Cardiac Wall Motion - This test will evaluate how well the left ventricle wall moves and the heart pumps the blood. There are no food restrictions prior to this scan. The patient will receive an injection in the arm, wait 30 minutes, and receive a second injection. These will allow us to see the heart. The patient will then lie quietly while three different views of the heart are taken. The test will take approximately 75 minutes. |
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 Lung
Scan - Most lung scans are to
detect blood clots in the lung. There are no food restrictions prior to
this test. The patient will be asked to breath a radioactive material
through a tube for 5 minutes and then six ventilation images will be taken
of your lungs. Then the patient will receive a radioactive injection,
which also goes to the lungs, and the same six pictures will be taken
again. These images are compared to determine if any blood clots are
present. |
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Liver
Scan - This scan is to detect
problems in the liver such as cysts, cirrhosis and tumors. There are no
eating restrictions prior to the test. A radioactive injection will be
given in the arm. After allowing it to circulate for 15 minutes the
patient will lie on the scan table while various views of the liver and
spleen are taken. The scan takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Hida Scan - This test is to detect problems in the gallbladder or biliary system. The patient may not eat 4 hours prior to the test. An injection of radioactive material will be given in the arm and scanning begins immediately. The scan may take anywhere from 40 minutes to 4 hours.
This test is to determine if there are blockages in the patient’s coronary arteries.The patient must not eat 4 hours prior to the test. The patient should be off Beta-Blocker medications but only on the instructions from the ordering physician. An IV will be inserted into the patient’s arm, and an injection of a radioactive material will be given. After waiting 15 minutes to circulate, the patient’s resting scan will be taken. The patient then goes to EKG Department for the actual treadmill portion of the test. One minute before ending the treadmill test, the patient will receive a 2nd injection. The patient will then return to Nuclear Medicine for the stress scan. The entire procedure will take 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Adenosine Stress Test This test is to determine if there are any blockages in the coronary arteries. The patient may not each 4 hours prior to the test. The patient is to be off medications such as Theophylline, Persantine, and Adenosine for 48 hours prior to the test. The patient is to have no caffeine for 24 hours prior to the test. An IV will be placed in the patients’ arm and an injection of a radioactive material will be given. After circulating 15 minutes the patients resting scan will be taken. The patient will then proceed to the EKG department to have the Adenosine stress portion of the test while the doctor monitors the heart. While the Adenosine is being infused another radioactive injection will be given. The patient then returns to the Nuclear Medicine Department for the stress scan. The entire test will take approximately 3 to 3 1/2 hours. PET - Positron Emission Tomography What is PET? PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is an imaging technique used to detect body functions on the cellular level. This may help detect cancers and determine appropriate management and care of treatment plans. How does PET work? A small amount of radioactive material which is tagged to a glucose compound is injected into the patient. This injection will be picked up by the heart, brain and cancerous tumors. The patient is then scanned from the head to thighs. The computer reconstructs the information acquired to form images of the body showing abnormal areas of radioactivity which may represent cancerous tumors. When is PET used? Pet is approved to evaluate the following diseases but not limited to these as additional cancers are approved. Lung Cancer
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