Nuclear Medicine

How Nuclear Medicine Works 

Images of the inside of the body are developed by machines that detect energy emitted from a radioactive substance given to the patient. This energy may be used to visualize internal structures of the body, allowing doctors to diagnose and treat certain diseases. Generally, radiation levels passed onto the patient to the patient are similar to those from standard X-ray examinations. 

Prior to your nuclear medicine test, an Inspira radiologist may give you a radioactive substance, called a radiopharmaceutical, intravenously, by mouth or through an inhaled substance. Once the substance reaches the organ being examined, the radionuclide emits high-energy gamma particles. As these particles exit the patient’s body, they are detected by a gamma camera, and the energy is analyzed by a computer.