NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Nuclear Medicine is the branch of medicine that provides diagnosis by counting the rays emitted by radioactive substances given to living things with special methods or transforming them into images with devices.
Nuclear Medicine examinations are easy examinations that do not cause any distress to the patient. It is generally referred to as scintigraphy examinations. These examinations give detailed information about the structure and functions of organs and are used in the diagnosis of disease, guiding treatment and patient follow-up.
Compounds containing radioactive substances are given intravenously in very small doses according to the organ to be examined in scintigraphic examinations. In scintigraphic examinations, the radiation dose received by the patient is not different from radiological examinations (such as lung radiography, Computed Tomography) and even lower. In children, examinations can be made even in the newborn period. Except in rare cases, pregnant women are not examined. Imaging is usually done after a certain waiting period. The waiting time varies between 15 minutes and 4 hours depending on the characteristics of the test.
Imaging is done in a special system known as a gamma camera. This imaging system does not produce radiation, it records the gamma rays from the radioactive material previously given to the patient. The functional images obtained are evaluated by a physician specialized in Nuclear Medicine. In addition to the gamma camera, SPECT/CT devices containing low-dose CT (Computerized tomography), which have become widespread in recent years, are used for anatomical correlation and attenuation correction. Nuclear Medicine department of our hospital provides service with 1 Siemens brand Gamma Camera and 1 Mediso brand SPECT/CT device.
Radiation is already present in nature, in our environment and in our homes, and is used for diagnosis and treatment in the field of health. In the examinations made in the nuclear medicine department, radiation will be used in minimum doses for your health.
In our hospital, diagnosis is made with technetium-99m radioactive substance, which is the most frequently used radioactive substance in Nuclear Medicine imaging. According to the organ to be imaged, kits called pharmaceuticals that bind to radioactive substances are used. These pharmaceuticals are used in our department, primarily myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (stress and rest), thyroid scintigraphy, parathyroid scintigraphy, lung perfusion scintigraphy, dynamic (DTPA) kidney scintigraphy, static (DMSA) kidney scintigraphy, whole body bone scintigraphy and three-phase bone scintigraphy. tests are carried out