Nuclear medicine is a specialized
area of radiology that uses very small amounts of
radioactive materials, or radiotracers, to examine organ
function and structure. This branch of radiology is
often used to help diagnose and treat abnormalities very
early in the progression of a disease. By measuring the
behavior of the radionuclide in the body during a
nuclear scan, the doctor can assess and diagnose various
conditions, such as tumors, abscesses, hematomas, organ
enlargement or cysts.
Among many other things, nuclear medicine may be used to
visualize heart blood flow, function and the extent of
any disease or defect, scan lungs for respiratory and
blood flow problems, evaluate bones for fractures,
tumors, infection and arthritis, just to name a few. For
cancer, nuclear medicine may be used to determine the
presence or spread of cancer in various parts of the
body; plan treatment; evaluate response to therapy;
detect recurrence; and detect rare tumors of the
pancreas and adrenal glands.