Nuclear Medicine

Offered at both the Tampa and St. Petersburg Locations

Nuclear Medicine is the practice of medicine/ radiology using small doses of radioactive materials (radio pharmaceuticals) to image the body. Nuclear Medicine provides mostly functional and metabolic information of the body with limited anatomic information. The metabolic information obtained is then used to make a proper diagnosis.

The radioactive drugs given to patients migrate throughout the body and accumulate in areas of abnormal tissue. Patients are then later scanned next to a complex nuclear medicine camera, which is integrated with computers to view any abnormalities. The amount of radiation in a typical nuclear imaging procedure is comparable with routine diagnostic x-ray procedures and is very safe. These studies have been performed for decades without adverse consequences.