Common Uses


What are some common uses of the procedure?

Physicians use nuclear medicine imaging procedures to visualize the structure and function of an organ, tissue, bone or system within the body.

In adults, nuclear medicine is used to:


Heart

  1. visualize heart blood flow and function (such as a myocardial perfusion scan)
  2. detect coronary artery disease and the extent of coronary stenosis
  3. assess damage to the heart following a heart attack
  4. evaluate treatment options such as bypass heart surgery and angioplasty
  5. evaluate the results of revascularization (blood flow restoration) procedures
  6. detect heart transplant rejection
  7. evaluate heart function before and after chemotherapy (MUGA)

Lungs

  1. Scan lungs for respiratory and blood flow problems
  2. Assess differential lung function for lung reduction or transplant surgery
  3. Detect lung transplant rejection

Bones

  1. Evaluate bones for fractures, infection and arthritis
  2. Evaluate for metastatic bone disease
  3. Evaluate painful prosthetic joints
  4. Evaluate bone tumors
  5. Identify sites for biopsy


Brain

  1. Investigate abnormalities in the brain in patients with certain symptoms or disorders, such as seizures, memory loss and suspected abnormalities in blood flow
  2. Detect the early onset of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease
  3. Assist in surgical planning and identify the areas of the brain that may be causing seizures
  4. Evaluate for abnormalities in a chemical in the brain involved in controlling movement in patients with suspected Parkinson's disease or related movement disorders
  5. Evaluation for suspected brain tumor recurrence, surgical or radiation planning or localization for biopsy


Other Systems

  1. Identify inflammation or abnormal function of the gallbladder
  2. Identify bleeding into the bowel
  3. Assess post-operative complications of gallbladder surgery
  4. Evaluate lymphedema
  5. Evaluate fever of unknown origin
  6. Locate the presence of infection
  7. Measure thyroid function to detect an overactive or underactive thyroid
  8. Help diagnose hyperthyroidism and blood cell disorders
  9. Evaluate for hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid gland)
  10. Evaluate stomach emptying
  11. Evaluate spinal fluid flow and potential spinal fluid leaks

In adults and children, nuclear medicine is also used to:

Cancer

  1. Stage cancer by determining the presence or spread of cancer in various parts of the body
  2. Localize sentinel lymph nodes before surgery in patients with breast cancer or skin and soft tissue tumors
  3. Plan treatment
  4. Evaluate response to therapy
  5. Detect the recurrence of cancer
  6. Detect rare tumors of the pancreas and adrenal glands


Renal

  1. Analyze native and transplant kidney blood flow and function
  2. Detect urinary tract obstruction
  3. Evaluate for hypertension (high blood pressure) related to the kidney arteries
  4. Evaluate kidneys for infection versus scar
  5. Detect and follow-up urinary reflux

In children, nuclear medicine is also used to:

  1. Investigate abnormalities in the esophagus, such as esophageal reflux or motility disorders
  2. Evaluate the openness of tear ducts
  3. Evaluate the openness of ventricular shunts in the brain
  4. Assess congenital heart disease for shunts and pulmonary blood flow

 

Nuclear medicine therapies include:

  1. Radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy used to treat some causes of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland, for example, Graves' disease) and thyroid cancer
  2. Radioactive antibodies used to treat certain forms of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system)
  3. Radioactive phosphorus (P-32) used to treat certain blood disorders
  4. Radioactive materials used to treat painful tumor metastases to the bones
  5. I-131 MIBG (radioactive iodine labeled with metaiodobenzylguanidine) used to treat adrenal gland tumors in adults and adrenal gland/nerve tissue tumors in children