What are the Different Diagnostic Tests in Nuclear Medicine ?

Nuclear medicine is the branch of medicine which uses radioactive substances in the diagnosis as well as treatment of different diseases. Radiology is one of the most important parts of this field. But it should not be completely related to this branch. In this procedure, the patient will inhale, swallow and injected with a radiopharmaceutical. It is known as radiotracer. It travels through the area being examined and gives off the energy. This energy is in the form of gamma rays that are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images inside the body.

The main reason to use this procedure is because other procedures cannot detect the unique information. Nuclear medicine is used in diagnosis with the help of above mentioned radiopharmaceutical method. The patient will lie on the table and there is a camera present to take pictures. This camera focuses on the area where the material is concentrated and the doctor will see what kind of problem there is.

Two of the most common imaging techniques include Position Emission Tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Some other diagnostic techniques are targeted molecular ultrasound, magnetic resonance sonography etc.

HIDA Scan
If there are some problems in the liver, gallbladder and ducts, then they are diagnosed by hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan. It is also known as cholescintigraphy. It is done to evaluate the gallbladder and see the bile-excreting function of the liver. It is used along with X-ray and ultrasound. There are different diseases and conditions diagnosed with this test. Some of them are gallbladder inflammation, bile duct obstruction, congenital abnormalities in the bile duct, bile leaks, fistulas, assessment of liver transplant etc.

Before the scan begins, doctor will ask you to fast you for four hours. Drinking fluids will be allowed. In this procedure, you will be asked to lie on the table on the back and the radioactive tracer will be injected into a vein in your arm. There might be a feeling of cold sensation while the radioactive tracer is injected. To empty the gallbladder, you will be given an intravenous injection of Kinevac.

Then, a gamma camera is positioned over the abdomen to take pictures of the tracer while it is moving through the different parts of the body. If there is slow movement of the tracer, then it might indicate a blockage and obstruction. If there is no radioactive tracer seen in the gallbladder, then there might be acute inflammation.

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