Miller DiPietro Associates/Partnership :: Procedures :: Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Medicine employs tiny amounts of radioactive materials called tracers which help diagnose a number of illnesses. Images are developed based on the detection of radioactive materials administered to the patient.

How to Prepare for Your Nuclear Scan

No preparation is ordinarily needed for a nuclear scan. If the procedure involves the stomach, you may be asked to skip the meal before the exam. If it involves the kidneys, you may be required to drink lots of water beforehand.

A small amount of radioactive material will be given to you, most commonly intravenously, but sometimes orally. This material is localized to a specific part of the body to be imaged. Depending on the type of scan, you may be administered the material immediately to a few days before the exam. The material then gives off gamma rays which are detected by sophisticated equipment which compiles the data into images.

A typical nuclear medicine exam will last 20 to 45 minutes.

Further Nuclear Medicine Information

To learn more about this topic, click one of the links below.

MEDLINEplus has a downloadable interactive tutorial on Nuclear Scans (requires Flash).

Radiologyinfo.org has an informative general overview of Nuclear Medicine.

General Health Resources

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