Is Nuclear Medicines used for Cardiac
Study ?
There are several types of heart studies in Nuclear Medicine. The
most common study is a myocardial perfusion scan to access coronary
heart disease. This is usually a two part study. Typically, the
first part is a resting myocardial perfusion scan - scanning is
performed about 30 minutes after the tracer is given to the patient
intravenously in a resting condition. The second part is a stress
myocardial perfusion scan. Injection of the tracer is done while
the patient is exercising on a treadmill machine. If the patient
cannot exercise well, a pharmacological stress study can be performed
instead. The patient will be given a medicine, that dilates heart
blood vessels or makes the heart work faster, before the radiotracer
is injected.
I'm scheduled for a nuclear medicine exam and have had
a reaction to X-ray dyes. What should I do ?
Nuclear medicine employs tracer amounts of radioactive drugs called
radiopharmaceuticals, not iodinated dyes used in X-ray and CAT scans.
No allergic reactions are expected to occur.
Is the radioactivity I will receive harmful ?
More than 9 million nuclear medicine exams are done each year in
the India. The amount of radiation received is about what an individual
receives to the whole body each year in the course of daily life
(so called "background" or "natural radiation").
It is comparable to many conventional X-rays, and less than those
X-rays using fluoroscopy such as GI series and angiography. Nuclear
medicine exams are among the safest of radiological procedures.
Why may it be necessary for my child to be sedated ?
As in adults, the scanning procedure can take several minutes (possibly
up to 45 minutes). It is very important that the patient lie absolutely
still during the acquisition of the scan. In children, generally
aged 6 months to 6 years, it is frequently necessary to use sedation.
This is always done in conjunction with a trained radiology nurse,
your referring pediatric physician, and sometimes the Department
of Anesthesiology according to our sedation policies.
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