Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that diagnoses and treats diseases. Nuclear medicine checks the function of organs or body systems, so it may detect disease earlier than other imaging exams.
The Nuclear Medicine department uses a small amount of radioactive material (radioisotope) that is combined with medicine (pharmaceutical) to form a radiopharmaceutical. It may be called a radiotracer or just tracer. Nuclear medicine uses different types of radiopharmaceuticals for different exams.
The radiopharmaceutical, or tracer, emits radiation that is detected by a gamma camera. Gamma cameras do not produce radiation, they detect and image radiation. There is no harm to the patient from the gamma camera.
Radiopharmaceuticals (tracers) are given by mouth or by injection.
The pharmaceutical or medicine portion of the tracer is designed to travel to a particular organ or area of the body. The radioactive portion is carried along with the pharmaceutical so it can be seen by our gamma camera.
Radiopharmaceuticals are carefully tested. The risk of side effects is extremely small. The radioactivity of a radiopharmaceutical is carefully selected by the nuclear medicine physician to be safe.
Most radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine studies give less radiation exposure than a day at the beach.
Nuclear medicine procedures we perform:
Due to the wide variety of procedures performed, instructions for all procedures are not provided here.
Who can I call with questions?
If you have any questions, please call or text 865-541-8116 to speak with a member of the Radiology or Sedation team.
Someone from our Radiology team will call or text to confirm your appointment and answer any questions you may have regarding your appointment. If you have any questions, please contact us at 865-541-8116.
You can also see these instructions and more information here about Imaging and Radiology at East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
