According to the National Institutes of Health, "nuclear scanning uses radioactive substances to see structures and functions inside [the patient's] body. Nuclear scans involve a special camera that detects energy coming from the radioactive substance, called a tracer." Before the scan is done, the tracer is injected, then the patient must stay still while the image is being created. Nuclear medical scans are used to identify diseases, injuries and illnesses in the patient's body.
Bone Scan
One type of nuclear medicine scan is the bone scan; the bone scan is used to diagnose diseases of the bone, such as arthritis, osteoporosis and tumors. According to Virtual Radiopharmacy, the bone scan is a very sensitive technique and can identify damage that is missed by a CT scan. The bone scan works slightly differently than other nuclear medicine scans. When the patient is injected with the tracer, the radioactive substance collects in the patient's bones. The largest amount of radioactive substance is located where there is the most bone activity; the bone activity indicates damage to the bone.
PET Scan
The PET scan, or positron emission tomography, is a type of nuclear medicine scan that is often used to diagnose tumors. Radioactive glucose is used as the tracer for a PET scan and is injected into the area that the PET scan will be focusing on. The radioactive glucose is absorbed by tissues at different rates; as a result, malignancies absorb the most tracer. When scanned by the camera, the malignancies show up as a "hot spot." When the camera finishes detecting the radiation, a computer creates a 3-D image of the particular area.
Gallium Scan
A third type of nuclear medicine scan, the gallium scan, is a localized scan that detects tumors, infections or inflammation. The gallium scan determines the abnormalities by showing areas that have an uptake of gallium citrate. Unlike other nuclear medicine scans, the contrast is given 3 days before the scan is done.
