In a nuclear medicine exam, a radioactive material will be administered to you by the radiographer. This substance produces radiation, which is detected by a gamma camera. Nuclear medicine exams provide functional information, i.e. they can tell us whether an organ is working properly. Often functional changes on nuclear medicine scans can be detected much earlier than structural changes on x-rays, e.g. bone destruction. Nuclear medicine exams can in some instances enable an earlier diagnosis and treatment of certain abnormalities. Patients are usually given an appointment in the morning at which time they will be given a small injection into a vein in their arm. They will be scanned at varying times after the injection depending on the area of the body to be scanned. Scan times vary from 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on the scan type.
N.B. Pregnant women and young children should not attend
with the patient.