Nuclear imaging looks at physiological processes rather than at anatomical structures.
In nuclear imaging, short-lived radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive drugs that emit gamma rays and that are attracted to the organ of study) are injected into a patient’s bloodstream. The nuclear camera takes an image of the pharmaceutical as it enters and concentrates in these tissues or organs.
By tracing this blood flow activity, the resulting nuclear medicine image tells physicians about the biological activity of the organ or the vascular system that nourishes it.
Nuclear Medicine has a wide variety of uses, including the diagnosis of cancer, studying gall bladder disease, circulatory problems, detecting thyroid, liver, and kidney malfunction, and other abnormalities in bones, tissues, and organs.