Nuclear Oncology

Posts Tagged ‘Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)’

For conventional radiation therapy, the initial visit with the oncologist is called consultation. During this visit, ask the story of his illness and perform a physical exam. At this point you may need consultation with other members of your treatment team.

After you and your (s) doctor (s) have decided on a course of treatment begins the first phase, the treatment planning. In this phase, a radiation oncologist, a doctor who specializes in radiation-make a simulation of your radiotherapy treatment using radiographs (X rays) or computed tomography (CT). In some cases, you may need an MRI. These radiographic studies are used to plan the type and direction of radiation beams used to treat cancer.

During the simulation, you must be lying / a motionless on the treatment table, although at the time is not given radiotherapy. Usually at this stage will be an immobilization mask to keep your head in the same position. Treatment usually begins one or two days after the planning session.

During the actual treatment with radiation therapy will be asked to lie on the treatment table without moving. The radiation therapist will administer the treatment prescribed by radiation oncologist. The treatment takes only minutes, and you feel nothing. If you undergo stereotactic radiosurgery, you may put a rigid head. This procedure uses computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help the doctor identify the exact location of the tumor, and a computer to help regulate the radiation dose as needed. You may be taking multiple images on the treatment machine to ensure alignment. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

In some centers, nuclear medicine images can be superimposed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce different views, a practice known as image fusion or co-registration. These views allow the information from two different studies to be correlated and interpreted in a single image, providing more accurate and more accurate diagnoses. In addition, manufacturers are now making single photon emission computed tomography / computed tomography (SPECT / CT) and tomography / computed tomography (PET / CT) able to perform both imaging studies at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »