Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Medicine is a subspecialty within the field of radiology. Instead of x-rays, the patient is given radioactive substances intravenously or by mouth, and images of different parts of the body are obtained. The radiation exposure of the dose is similar to that of regular x-ray exams.

You are given a small dose of radioactive material, usually intravenously but sometimes orally, that localizes in specific organs. The nuclear medicine camera detects this compound and works with a computer to produce images and measurements of organs and tissues.