Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine refers to procedures that use a safe amount of radioactive
material to diagnose medical issues or treat disease. Nuclear medicine
allows doctors and specialists to see inside the body of the patient and
make informed decisions about their health and any needed treatment. These
procedures are safe and only expose patients to the same amount of radiation
as a traditional x-ray.
Nuclear Medicine refers to procedures that use a safe amount of radioactive
material to aid physicians in accurately diagnosing patient conditions.
Nuclear Medicine is a specialty that performs organ imaging based on body
function in which the radioactive material is absorbed and excreted by
the various organs of the body.
How to prepare for your exam:
Please bring a list of your current medications to your appointment. If
you don’t have a list then you can bring the medications, and the
technologist will write them down.
There are a few exams that require that you be fasting prior to procedure.
This will be communicated to you at the time your appointment is scheduled.
There are various exams that are 2 and 3 part procedures. If this is the
case, you will be administered a small amount of radioactive material,
either by mouth or in the form of an injection, and then you will be asked
to return after a delay from the time the material was administered. In
some instances, you may be asked to return the following day as well.
What to expect when you arrive for your appointment:
- Allergic reactions to the radioactive materials are extremely rare.
- All Nuclear Medicine Exams are performed at the ECRMC Hospital Campus
- Once you have registered for your exam, you will take your paperwork to
the Medical Imaging reception desk. The receptionist will order your exam
and notify the Nuclear Medicine technologist.
- The technologist will explain the procedure to you. Since you will be administered
radioactive material for the procedure, you will be detectably radioactive
for a designated amount of time when passing through any immigration check
points. The technologist will provide you with a card to be presented
to the immigration officer in the event that radiation is detected. The
card will indicate how long you will be radioactive as well as the type
of radiation used for your procedure.
- Please advise the technologist if you are pregnant or breast feeding, prior
to receiving radioactive material.
If you have any questions or concerns about you scheduled appointment,
please call the Nuclear Medicine department directly at
(760)339-7244 to speak to the technologist.