What is NUCLEAR MEDICINE?
Nuclear medicine is a branch of radiology that uses radioactive
materials to determine if certain organs such as the heart,
kidneys, liver, thyroid, brain and lungs are working properly.
It is also used to examine the bones for cancer, infection
or trauma. Common uses of this procedure. A unique aspect
of a nuclear medicine test is its extreme sensitivity to abnormalities
in an organ's structure or function. As an integral part of
patient care, nuclear medicine is used in the diagnosis, management,
treatment and prevention of serious disease. Nuclear medicine
imaging procedures often identify abnormalities very early
in the progression of a disease --long before some medical
problems are apparent with other diagnostic test. This early
detection allows a disease to be treated early in its course
when there may be a more successful prognosis.
Although nuclear medicine is commonly used for diagnostic
purposes, it also has valuable therapeutic applications such
as treatment of hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, blood imbalances,
and pain relief from certain types of bone cancer. |
