Nuclear medicine specialists use safe, painless, and cost-effective techniques to image the body and treat disease. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique, because it provides doctors with information about both structure and function. It is a way to gather medical information that would otherwise be unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more expensive diagnostic tests. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures often identify abnormalities very early in the progress of a disease long before many medical problems are apparent with other diagnostic tests.
Today, nuclear medicine offers procedures that are essential in many medical specialties, from pediatrics to cardiology to psychiatry. New and innovative nuclear medicine treatments that target and pinpoint molecular levels within the body are revolutionizing our understanding of and approach to a range of diseases and conditions.
What Is Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses imaging scans along with very small amounts of radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) to diagnose, manage and treat disease.
What Are the Benefits of Nuclear Medicine?
By using special agents, such as radiopharmaceuticals, to highlight areas of the body, nuclear and molecular imaging specialists can safely, effectively and painlessly determine whether a problem exists, where it is, what it is and/or how to best treat it.
What Happens During a Nuclear Medicine Scan?
A nuclear medicine scan comprises three stages: administering the tracer (radiopharmaceutical), acquiring the images and interpreting the images.
Most individuals undergo scanning as outpatients. Very small amounts of radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) are introduced into the body by injection, swallowing or inhalation and used to highlight specific body tissues and organs. These trace radiopharmaceuticals are detected by special cameras—such as a PET, SPECT or gamma camera—that work with computers to provide precise pictures of an area of the body, offering information about an organ's or tissue's physiology or function. The presence of disease is then determined based on biological or molecular function.
With nuclear medicine scans, imaging may take place immediately or an hour, two hours or several days after the administration of the radiopharmaceutical. Once the imaging process is completed, a nuclear medicine specialist will review and interpret your images and provide your personal doctor with a report of the findings. Your doctor will advise you of the results and discuss what future actions are needed.
What Diseases Can Nuclear Medicine Diagnose or Treat?
More than 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures are available, and every major organ system can be imaged. Nuclear medicine procedures are used in the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment for
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Cancer
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Cardiovascular disease
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Gastrointestinal disorders
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Lung disorders
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Lymphoma
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Melanoma
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Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy
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Orthopedic disorders
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Renal disorders
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Thyroid disorders
Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging are used to nonsurgically treat diseases as well as diagnose them. For example, a therapeutic dose of radiation can be attached to a specific organ or tissue to help treat a disease such as hyperthyroidism or cancer.
How Safe Are These Imaging Procedures?
All molecular and nuclear imaging procedures are very safe. Unlike surgery, they are noninvasive, which eliminates an entire set of risks.
In nuclear medicine procedures, the amount of tracer (radioactive material) used is extremely small, so radiation exposure is minimal—the amount of radiation in most nuclear medicine procedures is no more than that received during an X-ray.
Radiopharmaceuticals are prepared with great care, and they are tested carefully and approved by the Food and Drug Administration prior to use. Nuclear medicine has been used for more than five decades, and these procedures are free of known side effects. The benefit of early and accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risks from exposure to this small quantity of radioactive material.
Can Someone Travel After Having a Nuclear Medicine Procedure?
A patient who has had a nuclear medicine procedure can potentially trigger a radiation monitor in a public transportation facility. SNM works with security authorities to develop procedures that facilitate the rapid and courteous treatment of patients who trigger radiation monitors.
Nuclear medicine specialists should provide patients who will be traveling on public transportation (such as airplanes, trains and rapid transit) or visiting secure facilities with a letter that contains the following information: patient name, contact information for medical facility, name of nuclear medicine procedure, date of nuclear medicine procedure, radionuclide, half life, administered activity and 24-hour contact information.
Who Are the Professionals Involved With Imaging Procedures?
All medical imaging exams and therapy sessions require a team effort. A nuclear medicine physician heads the patient care team. Other team members include nuclear medicine technologists and physicists. Each of these professionals has an important set of responsibilities.
The nuclear medicine physician is a board-certified specialist who holds a medical (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) degree. A nuclear medicine physician also has additional special training making her or him eligible for examination by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine or the American Board of Radiology. She or he interprets all tests and sends a report to the referring doctor.
Nuclear imaging physicians are usually based in a university or hospital, or both, and have limited involvement in direct patient care. This specialty offers clinical variety, freedom to conduct research and make original observations.
A nuclear medicine technologist is specially trained to operate the sophisticated systems and computers used for diagnosis in nuclear medicine. Typically, technologists have had two or more years of training in nuclear medicine and are certified by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board or the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. A nuclear medicine technologist performs the patient examination under the supervision of the nuclear medicine physician.
Nuclear medicine technologists are specialized health care professionals who work directly with patients during imaging procedures and work closely with nuclear medicine physicians.
Nuclear medicine scientists have advanced degrees in physics, pharmacy and/or chemistry and assist the team by creating new computer programs for clinical use and diagnostic interpretation, assuring the quality of the radionuclides and systems used for patient care and developing new applications for nuclear medicine.
Nuclear pharmacists specialize in the procurement, compounding, quality control testing, dispensing, distribution and monitoring of radiopharmaceuticals. They also provide consultation regarding health and safety issues as well as patient care and the use of non-radioactive drugs.
Where Can I Learn More About Molecular Imaging and Therapy?
SNM is an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology and practical applications of molecular imaging and therapy to diagnose manage and treat diseases. Founded more than 50 years ago, SNM provides essential resources for health care practitioners and patients, including training in state-of-the-art imaging procedures; the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field of molecular imaging and therapy and nuclear medicine; sponsorship of research grants, fellowships and awards; and the premier conference in molecular imaging and therapy and nuclear medicine.
SNM members have introduced—and continue to explore—biological and technological innovations in medicine that noninvasively investigate the molecular basis of diseases, benefiting countless generations of patients. SNM is based in Reston, Va.; additional information can be found online (Society of Nuclear Medicine, 2009). |
