Resource Center
About Nuclear Medicine
What Is Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine specialists use safe, painless, and
cost-effective techniques to image the body and
treat disease. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique,
because it provides doctors with information about
both structure and function. It is a way to gather
medical information that would otherwise be
unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more
expensive diagnostic tests. Nuclear medicine imaging
procedures often identify abnormalities very
early in the progress of a disease?long before
many medical problems are apparent with other
diagnostic tests.
Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of
radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) to
diagnose and treat disease. In imaging, the radiopharmaceuticals
are detected by special types of
cameras that work with computers to provide very
precise pictures about the area of the body being
imaged. In treatment, the radiopharmaceuticals go
directly to the organ being treated. The amount of
radiation in a typical nuclear imaging procedure is
comparable with that received during a diagnostic
x-ray, and the amount received in a typical treatment
procedure is kept within safe limits.
Today, nuclear medicine offers procedures that are essential in many medical specialties, from pediatrics to cardiology to psychiatry. New and innovative nuclear medicine treatments that target and pinpoint molecular levels within the body are revolutionizing our understanding of and approach to a range of diseases and conditions.
Attention: Would you like to know more about Nuclear Medicine? The SNM has two versions of our What Is Nuclear Medicine brochure available for download and bulk purchase. One is for General Educational Purposes and the second brochure is geared for Patients. You can find links to the files and products for each version of the brochure below.
