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Nuclear Medicine

InHealth Centres offering Nuclear Medicine:

London
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Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses very small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.

Nuclear medicine or radionuclide imaging procedures are noninvasive and usually painless. Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam you are undergoing, a "radiotracer" chemical is either injected into a vein, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. This energy is detected by a device called a gamma camera, a (positron emission tomography) PET scanner and/or probe. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures offering details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues.
 

Before your appointment

You will be sent a specific preparation sheet for your examination which will explain the preparation needed for your particular scan.

Please leave all jewellery at home. Wear comfortable clothes that contain little metal.

Please contact the centre for advice as soon as possible if:

  • You are pregnant or think that you might be pregnant
  • You are breast feeding
  • You are a diabetic
  • You require assistance in moving or you require a wheelchair
  • You require disabled access to the centre
  • You need an interpreter

You cannot bring friends or relatives in to the Nuclear Medicine Department. A friend or relative can accompany you to the Imaging Centre and will be advised on the time that you will be ready to leave the Nuclear Medicine Department.  Please do not bring children, pregnant friends or relatives with you because the nuclear medicine scan uses radiation.
 

During your appointment

You need to report to the reception in the London Imaging Centre. You will be taken to the Nuclear Medicine Department. Your friend or relative will be asked to wait in the waiting room. You should arrive 15 minutes before your scan appointment time.  If you realise that you will be late or unable to attend the unit, please contact the clinic for advice.

After you have been greeted at reception, a radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will explain the procedure. Please feel free to ask any questions regarding the nuclear medicine scan at this point.  A radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will then take a short medical history from you to assist the doctor who reads the scan.

The radiographer or nuclear medicine technologist will then inject a small amount of a low-dose radiopharmaceutical into a vein in your arm.  You may then wait for a period prior to your scan, or may have your scan immediately. Please refer to your specific leaflet for information on your particular scan.
  

After your appointment

Please avoid prolonged close contact with pregnant women and children for 24 hours after the scan.

You should:

  • Drink plenty of fluids for the remainder of the day
  • Eat normally after the scan
  • If you intend to travel, take this leaflet and your appointment letter with you to show to officials if requested.

The scan is reviewed by one of our consultants and the result will be sent to the doctor who referred you for the nuclear medicine scan.  The staff in the Nuclear Medicine Department cannot issue the results to you.
 

Frequently Asked Questions about Nuclear Medicine Scans

What can I do while waiting for my scan?

If you need to wait for your scan for a period of time after your injection to allow the chemical to travel to the correct part of your body, you may leave the Imaging Centre if you wish to do so. The London Imaging Centre is in central London and situated near Oxford Street and many shops and restaurants.

How much radiation do I receive from the scan?

The radiation dose from each scan is low and varies from a dose equivalent to a few months to a few years natural background radiation.

Are there any side effects?

Radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnostic nuclear medicine contain extremely low concentrations of pharmaceuticals, which mean that side effects are very rare. ( it really does not actually give the side affects if any)