Nuclear Medicine

To schedule an appointment, call 202-466-2033

What will the nuclear medicine procedure show - how does it work?
Does the procedure hurt?
Will the injection give me any side effects?
How long does the procedure take to complete?
Why do I have to wait 2 - 3 hours after my injection for the bone scan?
Why do I need to drink plenty of liquid between my injection and the bone scan?
Do I need to bring anything with me?
Can I take my medication before a nuclear medicine procedure?
Can I eat breakfast/lunch before my nuclear medicine study?
Can you use my Groshong catheter to inject the isotope?
Why do some nuclear medicine procedures take three days to complete? Why can’t they be completed in one day?
How soon will my doctor get the results/report?
How safe are nuclear medicine procedures?
What preparation is required?
Why do some patients need a number of different tests?
Where does WRA perform nuclear medicine studies?

What will the nuclear medicine procedure show - how does it work?
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses very small amounts of radioactive substances, or tracers, to diagnose or treat disease. When tracers are introduced into the body, they emit minute amounts of radiation. A special type of camera, called a scintillation or gamma camera, is used to detect the radiation and produce images which provide information about the anatomy and function of the body part being imaged.

Nuclear medicine tests demonstrate the physiology (function) of the body organ being studied. A particular benefit of a nuclear medicine test is its sensitivity to abnormalities in an organ’s structure or function.

Abnormalities can be detected very early in the course of a disease, before the medical problem would be apparent with other procedures.

Does the procedure hurt?
The injection of a radioactive substance into a vein in your arm is similar to having blood drawn; it may be uncomfortable. However, the scan is painless. You will be positioned next to a special detector, called a gamma camera, which will be placed close to the part of your body being imaged. You will not feel anything during the scan.

Will the injection give me any side effects?
You will not feel anything from the radioactive substance itself and side effects or adverse reactions are very rare.

How long does the procedure take to complete?
The following are general guidelines for the duration of each type of nuclear medicine procedure:

Bone Scan: 60 - 90 minutes
MUGA Scan/Gated Blood Pool: 60 - 90 minutes
Cardiac Stress Imaging: 90 minutes
Thyroid Uptake and Scan: 60 minutes (first day), 15 minutes (second day)
Liver Scan (hemangioma): 60 minutes (first scan), 60 minutes (second scan)
Liver/Spleen Scan: 60 minutes
Gallbladder Scan (HIDA): 1 - 2 hours
Gallium Scan: 15 minutes (first day), 60 minutes (second day) 60 minutes (third day if necessary)
Renal Scan: 60 minutes
Renal Scan with Lasix: 60 minutes
Renal Scan with Captopril: 2 hours

If the type of nuclear medicine procedure for which you are scheduled is not listed here, call your doctor or our nuclear medicine staff for exam duration. Many individual factors may affect the amount of time it takes to complete your type of examination.

Why do I have to wait 2 - 3 hours after my injection for the bone scan?
The waiting period is necessary because the different compounds require different amounts of time to accumulate in the area of your body being studied.

Why do I need to drink plenty of liquid between my injection and the bone scan?
Drinking liquid helps visualize bone by allowing isotope in soft tissue to be "washed out" and then excreted in the urine.

Do I need to bring anything with me?
Bring any other radiology or nuclear medicine films/reports related to the reason you are having your nuclear medicine procedure.

Can I take my medication before a nuclear medicine procedure?
Whether or not you can take your medicine before a nuclear medicine procedure depends on the type of nuclear medicine procedure. The following studies do restrict medication prior to the scan:

Iodine Whole Body - No iodine contrast within the last 6 weeks
Renal Scan - No captopril or diuretic medication for 48 hours prior to study
Thyroid Scan/Uptake - Inform your doctor or the nuclear medicine staff as different medications require different waiting periods.

Inform your doctor or our nuclear medicine staff if you are taking any medications when you make your appointment.

Can I eat breakfast/lunch before my nuclear medicine study?
Certain studies require fasting before the scan. These studies are:

Meckels Diverticulum: Fasting 6 hours prior to study.
Myocardial Imaging (excluding MUGA): Nothing by mouth 6 hours prior to study.
Hepatobiliary (HIDA): Nothing by mouth 6 hours before study.

All other nuclear medicine procedures allow the patient to eat breakfast/lunch before the study.

Can you use my Groshong catheter to inject the isotope?
A Groshong catheter can be used to administer the radioactive isotope, but the catheter is used as a last resort. The catheter itself absorbs some of the isotope and can obstruct the view of structures during imaging.

Why do some nuclear medicine procedures take three days to complete? Why can’t they be completed in one day?
Depending on the type of tissue to be visualized, absorption and/or excretion of the isotope may take from 24 to 96 hours.

How soon will my doctor get the results/report?
Your examination will be interpreted by a radiologist and the results sent to your doctor usually within 24 hours of your examination.

How safe are nuclear medicine procedures?
Nuclear medicine procedures are very safe. An extremely small amount of radioactive material is injected so radiation exposure is minimal. The radiologist only uses as much radioactive material as is necessary to provide diagnostic information. The benefit of early and accurate diagnosis far outweighs the potential risks of this small quantity of radioactive material.

What preparation is required?
Most tests require no special preparation by the patient. However, if anything is necessary, your doctor will tell you ahead of time or the nuclear medicine staff will tell you at the time your appointment is scheduled.

Female patients should tell their doctor if they may be pregnant or breast-feeding.

BONE SCAN
After receiving an injection you will be asked to drink plenty of fluid during a 2-4 hour period. You will return for a scan 2-3 hours after the injection.

THYROID/PARATHYROID SCANS
You should have nothing to eat/drink after midnight the night prior to your scheduled appointment. No seafood should be eaten for 3 days prior to the study. You should not have any study or medication that contained Iodine within the past 3 weeks. This should be arranged through your referring physician. You will be given a capsule in the morning and asked to return 5-6 hours later for your scan. The scan will take about 1 hour.

HEPATOBILIARY SCANS - HIDA
You should have nothing to eat/drink 6 hours prior to your appointment. Your scan will take 60-90 minutes depending on your case.

GALLIUM SCANS
No preparation is necessary for the injection portion. We will supply you with instructions involving preparation for your scan at the time of your injection.
Please bring prior films to your appointment for comparison. You will receive an injection and then depending on your specific diagnosis will return 24, 48 or 72 hours later for your scan.

GASTRIC EMPTYING/MECKEL'S
You should have nothing to eat/drink 6 hours prior to your appointment. Your scan will take about 60-90 minutes depending on your case.

PET/CT
Patients must fast for at least six hours prior to the exam. During that time, you may drink water only and take any prescribed medications. It is also important that you restrict any exercise 24-hours prior to the study. This means avoiding the treadmill, formal exercise, exerted walking, etc. All patients receive a preliminary low-dose CT scan which is used primarily for anatomic localization. We need to know in advance if you are diabetic, pregnant or breast feeding.

RENAL SCANS
No preparation is necessary. Your scan will take about 30 -60 minutes, depending on your case.

MYOCARDIAL IMAGING
You should have nothing to eat/drink 6 hours prior. Check with your Cardiologist about taking any medication.

INDIUM SCAN
No preparation is necessary. You will be asked to come in the morning to have your blood drawn. You will return 4 - 5 hours later for an injection. You will then return the following day for your scan, which will take about 1 hour.

Why do I need a number of different tests?
A diagnosis is usually made with one nuclear medicine procedure. However, it may be necessary to compare or confirm the results of the nuclear study with other diagnostic tests in order to reach a more confident and accurate understanding of your medical condition. The different diagnostic studies (such as MRI, CT and nuclear medicine) complement one another, with each test evaluating a particular aspect of the medical issue.

Where does WRA perform nuclear medicine studies?
Nuclear medicine studies are performed in Washington, D.C. at 2021 K Street, NW, Suite T-120.