Nuclear Medicine

Specialized imaging to evaluate organ structure and function

Nuclear Medicine at Beverly Hospital

Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of radioactive materials to examine how your organs look and work. We offer nuclear medicine scans at Beverly Hospital, Addison Gilbert Hospital and Beth Israel Lahey Health Care Center–Danvers.

How Nuclear Medicine Scans Work

Nuclear medicine imaging uses principles from chemistry, physics, math, computer technology and medicine. The scan introduces a small amount of radioactive tracer into your body, where it is absorbed. There are several types of radiotracers. We decide which one to use based on the type of study we’re doing.

During your scan, radiologists use a special gamma camera to look at the radiation in your body. The images taken by this camera help your doctors see many conditions, including tumors, abscesses, infection and organ enlargement. Some scans can also show blood circulation and how well an organ is working.

In planar imaging, the gamma camera remains in one place. The images created are two dimensional. In single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the camera rotates around you in a way that’s similar to how a CT machine works. SPECT creates “slices” of the organ being studied.

What to Expect

When you have a nuclear medicine scan, we give you a small amount of the radiotracer by mouth or IV. It travels through your body and gathers in the organ being studied. In some cases, your procedure takes place soon after we give you the radiotracer. But in others, you may wait several hours or even several days for your scan.

At the time of your scan, we ask you to lie on a table and stay very still while we get your images. Our technologists talk with you in detail about what you can expect before, during and after your procedure. They also answer any questions you might have.

Your care and safety are our top priorities. We’re very careful to ensure our equipment, supplies and procedures are of the highest quality so they can produce quality images.