Nuclear Oncology

Posts Tagged ‘Children’

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses very small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases including many cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.

Nuclear medicine in children (Pediatric) refers to tests performed on infants, young children and adolescents.

Imaging procedures in nuclear medicine or radionuclide are noninvasive and with the exception of intravenous injections are usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose health problems. These imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers.

Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam you are undergoing, the radiotracer is either injected into a vein, taken orally or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or body area being examined, where it emits energy in the form of gamma rays. This energy is detected by a device called a gamma camera, a scanner and / or probe for PET (positron emission tomography) and / or probe. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by the body to produce special pictures offering details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues. Read the rest of this entry »