What does a renal scan do?

What does a renal scan do?

A renal scan tells your provider how your kidneys work. It also shows their size, position, and shape. It may be done if: You cannot have other x-rays using contrast (dye) material because you are sensitive or allergic to them, or you have reduced kidney function.

How do they do a renal scan?

A renal scan uses a machine called a gamma camera, and a special liquid (called a radioactive isotope) to make pictures of your kidneys. The liquid is injected into your veins and pictures are taken using a gamma camera. This takes about 20 minutes. The liquid will pass out of your body in your urine or stool.

What is considered nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses radioactive tracers (radiopharmaceuticals) to assess bodily functions and to diagnose and treat disease. Specially designed cameras allow doctors to track the path of these radioactive tracers.

Is a renal scan safe?

The NM Renal Scan can take 45 minutes to 3 hours, based on the goals of the test. You can go back to your normal activities after having it, as the tracer is removed from your body naturally in urine. This test is safe because it does not have the risk of toxicity or allergic reaction as with IV dyes.

What ailments are typically diagnosed and treated via nuclear medicine procedures?

Examples of diseases treated with nuclear medicine procedures are hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, lymphomas, and bone pain from some types of cancer. The amount of radioactive materials used in diagnosing illnesses depends on the needs of the person and range from a small amount to a large amount.

What does a doctor of nuclear medicine do?

Nuclear medicine radiologists, also called nuclear radiologists, are physicians who use radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose and treat disease. They employ such techniques as scintigraphy, which uses radiopharmaceuticals to produce images of the body’s organs or to visualize certain diseases.

Which diseases are cured with nuclear medicine?

What are the side effects of nuclear medicine?

Side Effects of Radiation

• skin reactions – tanning and redness similar to a sunburn can occur gradually during treatment, peaking after treatment ends.
• sore throat and/or mouth.
• difficulty and/or pain with swallowing.
• hoarseness.
• soreness or swelling in the neck.
• weight loss or dehydration.

What falls under nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials, or radiopharmaceuticals, to examine organ function and structure….Some of the more common tests include the following:

• Renal scans.
• Thyroid scans.
• Bone scans.
• Gallium scans.
• Heart scans.
• Brain scans.
• Breast scans.

What are the careers in nuclear medicine?

A nuclear medicine technologist works closely with the nuclear medicine radiologist. The technologist may prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals, perform imaging procedures, enhance images utilizing a computer and analyze biologic specimens.

What are the side effects of a nuclear scan?

One of the most common side effects of nuclear PET scans is discomfort, though it is not usually significant. Patients feel a small prick when the radioactive material is administered into a vein, and some patients report a slightly uncomfortable cold tingling in their arms when the material is injected.

What is the procedure for a nuclear scan?

A bone scan is a nuclear imaging procedure. In nuclear imaging, tiny amounts of radioactive materials (tracers) are injected into a vein and taken up in varying amounts at different sites in the body. Areas of the body where cells and tissues are repairing themselves most actively take up the largest amounts of tracer.

What are the types of nuclear medicine?

There are different types of nuclear medicine scans such as: Bone or Joint Scan: The scan is done to identify abnormal areas within the bones or joints. Gallium Scan: This is done to detect infection or tumor. Gastric Emptying: This is done to evaluate the function of the stomach.