Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine began approximately 50 years ago and has evolved
into a major medical specialty for both diagnosis and therapy of
serious disease. More than 3,900 hospital-based nuclear medicine
departments in the United States perform over 10 million nuclear
medicine imaging and therapeutic procedures each year. Despite its
integral role in patient care, nuclear medicine is still often
confused with other imaging procedures, including general radiology,
CT, and MRI.
Nuclear medicine studies document organ and function and structure, in
contrast to conventional radiology, which creates images based upon
anatomy. Many of the nuclear medicine studies can measure the degree
of function present in an organ, often times eliminating the need
for surgery. Moreover, nuclear medicine procedures often provide
important information that allows the physician to detect and treat
a disease early in its course when there may be more success. It is
nuclear medicine that can best be used to study the function of a
damaged heart or restriction of blood flow to parts of the brain.
The liver, kidneys, thyroid gland, and many other organs are
similarly imaged.
Our associated Department of Nuclear medicine are
among the most recognized center in Bangalore and has strived to
provide the best of the treatment and always has looked out to
incorporate the latest techniques and technology in Nuclear
Medicines.
Our nuclear medicine department offers a wide
spectrum of Radionuclide imaging procedures and some of its
applications are given below:
++ High risk patients having strong family history of
heart disease/ DM/Hypertension.
++ Equivocal/ false Treadmill test.
++ To rule out impending ischemia in other territories
for future cardiac events in patients recovering from acute MI.
++ For assessment of viable myocardium in patients with
old MI.
++ Follow up of patients who have undergone CABG/Post
angioplasty
++ To evaluate ventricular dysfunction in patients
receiving CARDIO-TOXIC drugs.
++ Liver Scan
++ Thyroid Scan
++ Gallium Scan
++ Pulmonary embolism (COPD)
++ Stress thallium
++ Bone Scan
++ Renogram
++ Lung Scan
++ Thyroid Imaging and Function
test
++ ECD Brain SPECT
++ Whole Body Iodine Scan
Services that our associated Department of Nuclear Medicine and
Imaging routinely does;
Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Thyroid cancer is a thyroid neoplasm that is malignant. It can
be treated with radioactive iodine which is given after surgical
resection of the thyroid gland (Thyroidectomy). It has very good
prognosis as compared to other malignancies. Patients can attend
Disease free status and lead normal life. Three times more common in
females, this cancer is seen more in young females.
Nuclear Medicine & Imaging
A Nuclear Medicine study assesses organ function and identifies
the presence of disease. The study uses small amounts of radioactive
substances known as tracers, which are designed to target and image
a specific area of the body. This type of imaging is performed by a
Nuclear Medicine Technologist (a technologist who is trained in
Nuclear Medicine) and a Nuclear Medicine Physician (a doctor who
specialises in Nuclear Medicine). Nuclear Medicine imaging equipment
is very specialised and is available at our associated Centre.
Nuclear Oncology & Treatments
Expertise in managing other cases requiring Nuclear Medicine
Therapies such as Samarium treatment for metastatic bone pain
management; Neuroblastoma, Medullary Ca-Thyroid and Pheochromocytoma
therapies. Yttrium based therapies for Intra-tumour radiation and
synovectomies. Targeted antibodies labeled imaging & therapies for
malignancies. Treat Liver cancers and metastatic disease with 90-Y
Colloid Microspheres.
Molecular Imaging PET CT Scanning
A person with suspicion of cancer
is the first suitable candidate
as the PET scan can be useful in deciding whether the cancer is
present or not. Patients having heart problems, is another group
which benefit from a PET scan. After a heart attack, the heart
muscle gets damaged. But every time the damage may not total and
there can be viable part of the heart muscle, which can be
salvaged by angioplasty or by-pass surgery. PET scan helps the
cardiologist to decide how much is still viable and blood supply can
be restored using appropriate methods. PET scanning can also be used
to evaluate degenerative brain disorders, dementias, and is very
useful in understanding brain tumors.
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