Nuclear Medicine

Our radiologists subspecialize in nuclear and molecular imaging, also called nuclear radiology. Nuclear radiologists use safe amounts of radioactive substances to diagnose and treat diseases.

What is nuclear imaging? 

During a nuclear imaging exam, you will be injected with a small amount of radioactive substance, called a radiotracer. The radiotracer travels to the part of the body being scanned and puts off gamma rays, which are identified by a special type of camera, or scanner. The camera then produces images of the inside of your body so your physicians can see if there is a health concern or if everything is functioning properly.

Nuclear medicine is unique among other imaging scans because it can provide insight into how your body is functioning. For example, it can detect abnormal blood flow patterns, internal organ dysfunction and more.

Our services

We perform the following diagnostic tests:

• Bone: To identify bone cancer and/or the cause of bone pain
• Brain: To identify stroke, blood vessel narrowing, tumors and epilepsy
• Breast: To identify breast cancer
• Cancer: To identify cancer of any organ
• Heart: To identify ejection fraction, heart muscle viability, myocarditis, ischemia, sarcoidosis
• Infection/inflammation: To identify abscesses or osteomyelitis
• Kidneys: To identify renal failure or kidney stones
• Liver/gallbladder: To identify liver or gallbladder dysfunction, and/or the cause of abdominal pain
• Lungs: To identify airway or blood flow obstruction
• Parathyroid: To identify high calcium production
• Pediatric imaging: To identify cancer, gastric emptying and reflux, and/or ureter obstruction in children
• Stomach: To identify reflux and/or gastric motility
• Thyroid: To identify cancer, goiter or hyperthyroidism

Our radiologists offer therapy for:

• Thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism (I-131 radioiodine)
• Prostate cancer (Xofigo)
• Lymphoma (Zevalin)

Our nuclear radiologists

Our board-certified nuclear radiologists have extensive training in their field and are experienced in reading magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), computed tomography (CT) scans and other images.

They are able to identify issues and report them to your other physicians who oversee your treatment plan. Our team will work closely with you and your other physicians to develop the best treatment plan for your health. We frequently work with oncologists, who treat cancer.

The team is active in the following professional organizations:

• The Society of Nuclear Medicine
• The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
• The American College of Cardiology
• The American College of Radiology

Nuclear imaging technology

We use the latest nuclear and molecular imaging technology, including:

• Four cameras: three single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) cameras and one SPECT/CT scanner
• A mobile positron emission tomography (PET)/CT [link to PET/CT page] system

By combining state-of-the-art technology and the expertise of our radiologists, we aim to provide you with the earliest possible diagnosis if you have a health issue.