Nuclear Scans

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Nuclear Scans

Summary

Nuclear scans use radioactive substances to see structures and functions inside your body. They use a special camera that detects radioactivity.

Before the test, you receive a small amount of radioactive material. You may get it as an injection. Sometimes you swallow it or inhale it. Then you lie still on a table while the camera makes images. Most scans take 20 to 45 minutes.

Nuclear scans can help doctors diagnose many conditions, including cancers, injuries, and infections. They can also show how organs like your heart and lungs are working.

Start Here

General Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Nuclear Medicine (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) Also in Spanish
Nuclear Medicine Imaging (American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - PDF - In English and Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Radiation Exposure from Medical Exams and Procedures (Health Physics Society) - PDF

Specifics

Hepatobiliary (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Lymphoscintigraphy (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Nuclear Heart Scan (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Renal Scintigraphy (Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Scintimammography (Breast Specific Gamma Imaging-BSGI) (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Skeletal Scintigraphy (Bone Scan) (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) Scan (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Stress Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Thyroid Scan and Uptake (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

Your Radiologist Explains Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Radionuclide Imaging (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Tomography, Emission-Computed (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

RadiologyInfo: Glossary of Terms (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

American College of Radiology Accredited Facility Search (American College of Radiology)
Food and Drug Administration
RadiologyInfo (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Children

Children's (Pediatric) Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
What You Should Know About Pediatric Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Safety (Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging) - PDF

Women

Radiation Exposure and Pregnancy (Health Physics Society) - PDF

Patient Handouts

Bone scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Brain PET scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Gallbladder radionuclide scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Heart PET scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nuclear ventriculography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Thyroid scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Basics

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Research

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