What is a Nuclear Study?
When you hear of a Nuclear study, I’m sure the last thing that comes to mind is imaging tests for your health. Nuclear studies are techniques used to “Map” the inside of the boy by a noninvasive medical procedure. Most of the time these procedures are painless and little to no side effects.
Nuclear studies offer patients the ability to get more information about the area being tested. These tests can reveal the atomic structure of the thing being examined, and allows radiologists to see how an organ is functioning, or how to properly diagnose and treat certain ailments.
How do they work?
Depending on the study you are getting done, you may have to either ingest, inhale, or be injected with light amount of radioactive material that is then caught by a camera designed to capture and image the information. These procedures are safe, and cause little to no harm to the patient being examined.
What are they used for?
Nuclear tests can be used to assess the function and health of different organs, tissues, and bone structures in the body. Here is a list of some of the organs and functions nuclear testing is used for:
Heart
-Shows the flow of blood through the heart and decided any blockages or “weak spots”
-Can help assess damage of the heart after a heart attack
-Help detect if the body is rejecting a heart transplant
Lungs
-Can help Dr. assess lungs for respiratory issues
-Help to show if there are any blood flow problems
-Help detect if the body is rejecting a lung transplant
Bones
-Helps asses bones for fractures, arthritis and infection
-Check joints that may have a painful prosthetic
-Asses bone tumors
-Help identify sites for biopsy
Brain
-Evaluate any abnormalities in the brain such as blood flow
-Can help identify early onsets of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer
-Help evaluate where to plan surgery
-Helps assess any abnormalities in chemicals in the brain associated with controlling movement with patients with suspected Parkinson’s disease
-Assessing brain tumors and helps with planning treatments
Cancer
-Can help identify stage of cancer by showing the presence or spread of cancer in different areas of the body
-Can help Doctors assess and plan treatment
-Assess patient’s response to treatment
So if your doctor has determined you need to have a Nuclear test done, we can help. Call us today to set up your appointment.
***Please note that this test is only offered at our Livonia location***