Nuclear Medicine examinations are rather common, for both diagnosis and therapeutic reasons.
In Nuclear Medicine diagnosis, metabolic processes are made visible by administering radioactive pharmaceuticals to patients via skin injection, into a vein, in tablet form or by inhalation. These substances accumulate in certain parts of the body where they render metabolic processes visible. By using special examination equipment, called gamma cameras, the weak radiation can be made visible and converted into a diagnostic image (a scintigram) showing the spatial distribution of the diseased cells in the body.
In Nuclear Medicine therapy, special radiation with short-range effects is used. The substances administered reach the diseased cells and destroy them by radioactive radiation. The best-known example of this is radioiodine therapy for thyroid patients.
Please check the left menu for further information on the reasons to be referred for a Nuclear Medicine examination, its advantages, how it feels and the possible risks and contraindications.