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Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses safe, painless, and cost-effective techniques both to image the body and treat disease. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique in that it documents organ function and structure, in contrast to diagnostic radiology, which is based upon anatomy. It is a way to gather medical information that may otherwise be unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more expensive diagnostic tests.

Hours of operation: Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Schedule an appointment: please call 404-686-XRAY (404-686-9729).

Services and how to prepare for them:

  1. If you are pregnant, nursing or have children
  2. Bone scan (skeletal imaging)
  3. Brain scan (hmpao or thallium)
  4. Breast lymphoscintigraphy
  5. CEA scan
  6. Cisternography
  7. Gallium scan
  8. Gastric emptying study
  9. GI bleed localization
  10. Hepatic hemangioma scan
  11. HIDA scan
  12. Liver spleen scan
  13. Marrow scan
  14. Meckel's scan
  15. Melanoma lymphoscintigraphy
  16. Metastron therapy
  17. Neotect scan
  18. Octrectide scan
  19. Oncoscint scan
  20. Parathyroid scan
  21. Renal function study: Kidney imaging
  22. Renal function study to evaluate renal vascular hypertension
  23. Salivary scan
  24. Scintimammography scan
  25. Testicular scan
  26. Thyroid uptake and scan
  27. Thyroid therapy: 29.9 mCi or less
  28. V/Q lung scan
  29. White blood cell scan

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are pregnant, nursing or have children:

  • Since radioactive materials are used, you cannot be pregnant and have nuclear medicine procedures done.
  • If you are unsure, a pregnancy test must be performed within 5 days of the scheduled examination.
  • If you are breast feeding, please let the technologist know before the test is started.
  • Please do not bring children with you to the hospital unless they are the patient.

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Bone scan: skeletal imaging

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient should arrive well hydrated (drink lots of fluids).
  2. There will be a 3-4 hour wait between the dose injection and imaging. Therefore, please allow five hours for completion of this exam.
  3. You can wait at the hospital or you may leave after the injection as long as you return on time for your imaging.
  4. Please bring a family member with you if you need assistance during this waiting time.
  5. No barium X-ray procedures can be done on the same day as this exam.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V.injection of Tc-99m MDP.
  2. After 3-4 hours, images of the whole body or specific areas of the body are obtained.
  3. The patient should allow 1 hour for imaging. The total time from the injection to the completion of imaging is about 4- 5 hours.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.
  5. If you are taking pain medication, this medication may be taken 30 minutes prior to imaging.

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Brain scan: HMPAO or thallium

Patient Preparation: None
What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m CeretecorTI-201.
  2. Images of the brain are obtained.
  3. Patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.
  4. The patient should allow 1 hour for imaging.


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Breast lymphoscintigraphy: For location of the sentinel node

Patient Preparation:

  1. Patient must be NPO.
  2. Patient should report to ASU to prepare for surgery.
  3. Nuclear medicine will contact ASU when ready for the patient.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives four injections around the breast nipple area of Tc-99m filtered sulfur colloid.
  2. The physician or technologist will massage the breast for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Images will be taken of the breast area for approximately 45 minutes. 

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CEA Scan

Patient preparation:

  1. The patient must arrive well hydrated (drink lots of fluids).
  2. If patient has a colostomy, the ostomy bag must be changed just prior to imaging.
  3. Bladder catherization prior to imaging is possible.
  4. There will be a 2.5 hour wait between the dose injection and imaging.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m CEA-Scan (arcitumomab).
  2. After 2.5 hours, tomographic (3D) images of the pelvis and abdomen are obtained.
  3. Whole body images are also obtained.
  4. The patient should allow 2 hours for imaging. The total time from the injection to completion of imaging is about 4 hours.
  5. The nuclear medicine physician might require delayed imaging 8-18 hours after injection.
  6. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging. 

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Cisternography

Patient Preparation: None
What is involved:

  1. The patient reports to the Radiology department.
  2. The patient will have a spinal needle placement in the lumbar spine area by the neuroradiologist under fluoroscopic guidance.
  3. The patient receives lndium-111 DTPA intracathecally.
  4. The patient is transported to the Pre and Post Care Area.
  5. Images are obtained 1.5-2 hours post injection.
  6. Additional images are required 24, 48 and 72 hours post injection.
  7. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Gallium scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. No preparation is required initially.
  2. Specific preparation needed for the imaging part of the exam will be given at the time the patient is dosed.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Ga-67 citrate.
  2. The patient returns 48 and/or 72 hours post injection for imaging.
  3. Allow 1 hour for imaging.
  4. Tomographic (3D) images also may be required.
  5. The patient should allow 1-1.5 hours for imaging each day. 
  6. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Gastric emptying study

Patient preparation:
The patient may have nothing to eat or drink for at least 8 hours prior to the study.

What is involved:

  1. The patient will be asked to eat part of a banana or scrambled eggs which are prepared with Tc-99m Sulfur Colloid. It is important that the patient eat most if not all of this meal.
  2. Images are obtained continuously over a two hour time period.
  3. The rate of stomach emptying is determined by computer analysis of the images.
  4. You must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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GI bleed localization

Patient preparation: None
What is involved:

  1. You will have an I.V. put in for access for drawing blood and reinjecting.
  2. A small sample of the patient's own Red Blood Cells (RBC's) are withdrawn and labeled with Tc-99m.
  3. After 30 minutes the Tc-99m labeled RBCs are reinjected into the patient and a series of images are taken of the abdomen, while the patient lies on an imaging table. Images are taken continuously for 120 minutes.
  4. You must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Hepatic hemangioma scan: RBC liver

Patient Preparation:

  1. No preparation is required.
  2. No barium X-ray procedures on the same day as this exam.
  3. Total time for this study is 2-3 hours.

What is involved:

  1. You will have an I.V. put in for access for drawing blood and reinjection.
  2. A small amount of blood will be drawn from the patient.
  3. The Red blood cells are tagged with Tc-99m.
  4. The tagged RBC's are re-injected into the patient.
  5. Tomographic (3D) images of the liver are obtained.
  6. One hour after the completion of the first 3D images, the second 3D images of the liver are obtained.
  7. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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HIDA scan: hepatobiliary scintigraphy


Patient Preparation:
The patient may have nothing to eat or drink for at least 2 hours prior to the study.
 
What is involved:

  1. The patient will receive an I.V. injection of Tc-99m HI DA.
  2. Images of the abdomen will be acquired for approximately 1 to 3 hours.
  3. The patient may receive a small amount of a nutritional drink (Boost Plus).
  4. The total time in Nuclear Medicine will be between 1and 3 hours.
  5. You must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Liver spleen scan

Patient Preparation: None

  • No Barium x-ray studies can be performed for 24 hrs. prior to the liver scan.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m Sulfur Colloid.
  2. Images of the liver and spleen are obtained.
  3. The patient should allow 30 minutes for imaging.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Marrow scan: bone

Patient Preparation: None.

  • This test can not be performed less than 48 hours after a White Blood Cell Scan.

What is Involved:

  1. The patient will receive an I.V. injection of Tc99m Sulfur Colloid.
  2. Fifteen minutes after the injection, images of the whole body or specific area of interest will be obtained.
  3. The total time in nuclear medicine will be 1 hour.

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Meckel's scan

Patient Preparation:

  • The patient should receive Tagamet, Zantac or any H2 receptor antagonists in standard dosage QID(four times a day) the day before the study begins and again 1 hour prior to imaging. Check with your physician.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m pertechnetate.
  2. Images of the abdomen are obtained for 1 hour.
  3. At the end of the 1 hour of imaging, the patient will be asked to empty their bladder.
  4. One additional image of the abdomen will be obtained.
  5. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Melanoma lymphoscintigraphy: For location of the sentinel node

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient must be NPO.
  2. The patient should report to ASU to prepare for surgery.
  3. The nuclear medicine department will contact ASU when ready for the patient.

What is Involved:

  1. The patient will receive four injections around the melanoma of Tc-99m filtered sulfur colloid.
  2. The physician or technologist will massage the area for five minutes.
  3. Images will be taken of the melanoma and surrounding area for approximately 45 minutes.

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Metastron (strontium) therapy

Patient Preparation:

  • The patient's physician should order bloodwork drawn 1 week prior to the Metastron Therapy to check the patient's platelet and white blood cell counts.

What is involved:

  1. The patient will have an I.V. put in for access.
  2. The nuclear medicine physician will explain the procedure and possible complications.
  3. The patient will be required to sign a consent form for this procedure.
  4. The patient will be instructed to have follow-up bloodwork drawn at their physicians office.
  5. The patient will receive an I.V. injection of Strontium-89 Chloride over a 4 minute time period.

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Neotect scan

Patient Preparation: None

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m Neotect Depreotide.
  2. Imaging will begin 2 hours post injection.
  3. The patient should allow 2 hours for imaging. Total time from injection to the completion of imaging is about 4.5 hours.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Octrectide scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient must be off Sandostatin for 48-72 hours prior to starting this study. Please check with your physician.
  2. The patient needs to take a laxative the day prior to the Octreotide injection.
  3. Another laxative should be taken the night of the Octreotide injection.
  4. There will be a four hour wait between the dose injection and imaging.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of lndium-111 pentetrotide (Octreotide).
  2. Whole body images are obtained 4 hours post injection.
  3. Tomographic (3D) images are obtained 24 hours post injection.
  4. The patient should allow 1-2 hours for each imaging session.
  5. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Oncoscint scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. CEA and CA 125 studies should be completed before Oncoscint injection.
  2. The patient needs to take a laxative the day prior to imaging (two days after the Oncoscint
    injection).
  3. If the patient has a colostomy, the ostomy bag must be changed just prior to imaging.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of lndium-111 Satumomab Pendetide (Oncoscint).
  2. The patient will be imaged on day 3,5 and 7 after the dose injection.
  3. The patient should allow 1-2 hours for each imaging session.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Parathyroid scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient should not eat or drink at least 4 hours prior to the start of the study.
  2. There will be a 2 hour wait between the dose injection and the second set of imaging.
  3. The patient may eat or drink after the first set of images have been completed.

What is involved:

  1. The patient will receive an I.V. injection of Tc-99m Sestamibi.
  2. Images will be taken of the neck and chest 10 minutes after the injection.
  3. The patient will return approximately 2 hours after the injection for more images of the neck and chest.
  4. Each set of imaging takes approximately 30 minutes.
  5. Occasionally, additional images may be needed 1 hour later. The patient should allow 3.5 hours total time for this study.
  6. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Renal function study: Kidney imaging

Patient preparation:

  1. The patient should be well hydrated. No other preparation is needed.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc -99m MAG3
  2. Images of the kidney are obtained for a duration of 30 min -1 hour.
  3. Patient should allow 1 hour for the Renal Study or the Diuretic Renal Study.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Renal function study to evaluate renal vascular hypertension: RVH, captopril, vasotec, enalaprilat, Ace inhibitor study

 Patient preparation:

  1. The patient should be well hydrated.
  2. The patient should not be on ACE inhibitor medication for a specific period of days, depending on the type of ACE inhibitor (please check with your physician).
  3. Anti-hypertensive medications should be discontinued at 12:00 midnight, before the morning of the study. Please check with your physician.

 What is involved:

  1. The patient is given Captopril capsule(s) to swallow.
  2. The patient waits at least 1 hour before imaging can start.
  3. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m MAG3.
  4. The Renal Function Study is acquired for a duration of 40 min.
  5. The patient should allow 2 hours for the this study. 
  6. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.
  7. Sometimes, a baseline renal is needed. If a baseline study is required, it must be performed on another day. The protocol is the same as above except no captopril capsules are given. The nuclear medicine physician will decide if a baseline study is necessary.

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Salivary scan

Patient Preparation: None

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m pertechnetate.
  2. Images are taken of the head and neck for 10 minutes.
  3. The patient drinks the juice of a whole lemon.
  4. Additional images are taken of the head and neck.
  5. Total imaging time is approximately 30 minutes.

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Scintimammography (miraluma) scan

Patient Preparation: No special preparation is needed but the procedure should be scheduled in mid-cycle.

What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m Sestamibi, contra lateral arm from the breast lesion.
  2. Patient will lie prone on special elevated breast pads on an imaging table.
  3. Images of the breasts will be obtained for approximately 1 hour.

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Testicular scan

Patient Preparation: None
What is involved:

  1. The patient receives an I.V. injection of Tc-99m pertechnetate.
  2. Images of the scrotum will begin immediately after the injection.
  3. Imaging will take approximately 30 minutes.

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Thyroid uptake and scan

Patient preparation:

  1. This is a two day test.
  2. The patient should be off thyroid medications.
  3. Please check with your physician or the x-ray schedulers.
  4. The patient should not be taking medicine or food containing large amounts of iodine. ***Eating sushi or kelp interferes with the results of this exam.***
  5. The patient should not have had iodinated contrast studies i.e. CT, IVP exams, at least 8 weeks prior to the test.
  6. The patient must be NPO a minimum of two hours before and after dosing.
  7. An allergy to seafood or iodine contrast media is not a contraindication.

 What is involved:

  1. The patient swallows I123 capsule(s). These capsules must be special ordered and are available Monday - Thursday's only. If unable to keep your appointment, please call the x-ray schedulers 24 hours in advance.
  2. The patient should not eat or drink for 2 hours after swallowing capsules.
  3. 24 hours after swallowing the capsules, an uptake study and a scan of the thyroid gland will be done. The Uptake procedure takes 15 min. and the Scan takes 20 minutes.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Thyroid therapy: 29.9 mci or less

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient must have had a recent Thyroid Uptake and Scan.
  2. Female patients of child bearing age must have a written result of a negative blood pregnancy test drawn within 5 days of the therapy.
  3. The patient must be NPO 2 hours prior to and after dosing.

What is involved:

  1. The nuclear medicine physician explains the procedure and Radiation Safety Guidelines with the patient.
  2. The patient must sign a consent form for this procedure.
  3. The patient receives a capsule(s) of 1-131Iodine, by mouth.
  4. The patient is not to eat for 2 hours after taking the therapy capsule.
  5. The patient is told to make an appointment for follow-up care with their referring physician.

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V/Q lung scan: Ventilation and perfusion lung scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient must have a Chest X-Ray exam with in 24 hours of the Lung Scan.
  2. For a good quality ventilation study, the patient's cooperation is needed.

What is involved:

  1. Ventilation images are obtained by the patient breathing Xenon gas through an oxygen mask for 4 minutes.
  2. Perfusion images are obtained after I.V. administration of Tc-99m MAA.
  3. Both imaging sessions are performed on the same day. The patient should allow about 45 minutes for this study.
  4. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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White blood cell scan

Patient Preparation:

  1. The patient will have an IV put in for access for both drawing out and receiving blood. This I.V. must not be in the area of interest.
  2. The patient will be at the hospital 7-8 hours.

What is involved:

  1. Blood is drawn from the patient.
  2. The blood is separated and tagged.
  3. After the tagging process, the patient's tagged white blood cells are re-injected into the patient.
  4. Imaging of the patient can begin as early as 1 hour post injection or as late as 4 hours post
    injection. The nuclear medicine physician determines the time the patient needs to be imaged.
  5. The patient must lie flat and very still during imaging.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

What is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses safe, painless, and cost-effective techniques both to image the body and treat disease. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique in that it documents organ function and structure, in contrast to diagnostic radiology, which is based upon anatomy. It is a way to gather medical information that may otherwise be unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more expensive diagnostic tests.

Are nuclear medicine procedures safe?
Nuclear medicine procedures are very safe. A patient only receives an extremely small amount of tracer, just enough to provide accurate diagnostic information. The amount of radiation in a nuclear medicine test is no more than that received during an X-ray. 

How and when will I receive my results?
You will need to contact your referring physician for your results.  Critical results will be called to the referring physician immediately.  Results that are not critical will be available in your physician's office within 24 hours.

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