White Plains Hospital offers a variety of nuclear medicine exams and nuclear cardiology testing. These tests use radioactive tracers that collect inside the body and create high-quality images to detect disease. The following nuclear medicine exams are provided at White Plains Hospital:
A bone scan identifies new areas of bone growth or breakdown. Bone scans can be used on the entire body, or just a part of it, to evaluate damage to the bones, find cancer that has spread or metastasized, and monitor conditions that can affect the bones such as infections or trauma. A bone scan can often find problems sooner than can a regular X-ray.
SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
SPECT uses a special camera called a gamma camera to capture images from various angles, which are reconstructed by a computer to produce 3-D images. The results can show thin slices of a section of the body, similar to those obtained through MRI, CT and PET scans.
A thyroid scan is used to check thyroid gland function and can reveal overactive or underactive areas of the thyroid. Testing can also be performed on people who have had thyroid cancer to determine if the cancer has spread.
A lung scan is commonly used to detect a clot or pulmonary embolism, which prevents normal blood flow within the lung. A lung scan consists of two tests performed in conjunction: a ventilation scan in which radioactive tracer gas is inhaled, and a perfusion scan in which the tracer is injected intravenously. If the lungs are working normally, blood flow in the perfusion scan matches air flow in the ventilation scan. A mismatch between the two scans may indicate a pulmonary embolism.
Nuclear Cardiology Test
A nuclear cardiology test is a non-invasive means of assessing blood flow to the heart and it’s pumping function. The most common nuclear cardiology test is myocardial perfusion imaging, in which the patient is injected with a radioactive dye first while resting and again while exercising on a treadmill. The patient then lies under a camera at rest and after exercise. The camera records how much of the radioactive material has been taken up by the heart, and shows clearly where blood flow is weak.
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan
A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan is a nuclear medicine imaging test used to find cancer, check blood flow, or to evaluate how an organ is working. PET scans are a helpful tool in radiation oncology, helping physicians see the spread or metastases of cancer and determine the most appropriate treatment plans for patients. Often, a radiologist or nuclear medicine specialist will analyze and compare the PET scan to CT and MRI results to accurately diagnose patients.