Nuclear Medicine

General Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases or abnormalities. This includes many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders, and other abnormalities within the body. Because nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, they offer the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages as well as a patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions.

Diagnostic Nuclear Imaging

Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are noninvasive and, with the exception of intravenous injections, are usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose and evaluate medical conditions. These imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers.

Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam, the radiotracer is either injected into the body, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of the body being examined. Radioactive emissions from the radiotracer are detected by a special camera or imaging device that produces pictures and provides molecular information. This procedure allows our doctors to examine your organs and diagnose a variety of diseases and disorders.

All Nuclear Medicine technologists at Boone Memorial Health are licensed by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) and the State of West Virginia.