Nuclear medicine

Nuclear medicine examinations provide entire series of high-resolution images for the assessment of organ functions. For this purpose, a minimal amount of a radioactive substance with a short half-life is introduced into the bloodstream by a single injection. Highly sensitive measuring instruments can then be used to measure the temporal and spatial distribution of this substance in the body and to calculate images that reflect metabolism. By using different radiopharmaceuticals, different metabolic processes can be measured and visualized. With the help of particularly sensitive measuring devices, the radiation is then imaged, which allows the examination of bodily functions or even their disorders.

You can find a detailed description of the procedure on our Nuclear Medicine pages. The examinations consist of three phases:

What nuclear medicine examinations are offered at the Radiology Center? keyboard_arrow_down How do nuclear medicine examinations work? keyboard_arrow_down What is the procedure for nuclear medicine examinations at the Radiology Center? keyboard_arrow_down What is a scintigraphy? keyboard_arrow_down Scintigraphy is the measurement and visual representation of the radioactively labeled substances (radiopharmaceuticals) described above in the body, using a gamma camera to depict organ function. This is done in the form of individual images (e.g., in thyroid scintigraphy), whole-body images (e.g., in skeletal scintigraphy), or serial (dynamic) images (e.g., in renal scintigraphy). With the help of scintigraphy, practically all organ systems can be tested for their metabolic function.

Depending on the organ to be examined, scintigraphy (or SPECT) requires a different accumulation time: in bone scintigraphy, it takes about two to three hours for the radioactive substance to accumulate predominantly in the skeletal system; in thyroid scintigraphy, it takes only about 20 minutes. For some examinations, such as checking for side-separated kidney function, the scintigraphy begins immediately after the tracer is administered.

Certain examinations require special preparation, about which patients are informed in detail by the referring physician or when making the appointment. Example: If you are coming for a cardiac scintigraphy, which serves to clarify coronary heart disease (CHD, precursor of a heart attack), you must be fasting for 6 hours and you must not have had any caffeine 12 hours before the examination (water and medication are, however, permitted).

No, you do not need authorization from the chief physician for an examination.

No, if you feel a lump in your breast, you come directly to us. Otherwise, however, we require a physician’s referral to perform the proper examination.

Bone densitometry uses X-rays to determine the mineral salt content of the bones. The examination is performed lying down, is painless and the radiation exposure is extremely low. The lower the mineral salt content detected, the greater the risk of bone fractures in the context of osteoporosis. The medical background of bone density measurement: Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic diseases of the skeletal system. Increased bone resorption leads to a loss of substance, which weakens the bone. Compared to healthy bone, the latter becomes less resilient and therefore more susceptible to fractures. The disease mainly affects women after menopause and usually begins unnoticed. It is often diagnosed – too late – only during the treatment of an unexpected bone fracture (e.g. of the femoral neck). The result of the bone density measurement, together with other findings (such as laboratory tests regarding kidney function, parathyroid function, etc.), then forms the basis of the therapy proposal, which is discussed with the patient in the nuclear medicine office.

SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), like radiological computed tomography (CT), allows cross-sectional imaging, i.e. a slice-by-slice representation of organ function in a volume; SPECT can also be combined with radiological computed tomography in the form of “SPECT/CT”, which allows better spatial mapping. Above all, so-called hybrid imaging – the combination of complementary imaging methods in one device (gamma camera with SPECT/CT, but also PET/CT) and thus also in one examination procedure – opens up completely new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment planning and therapy success monitoring of many organs; this is especially true for cancer (PET/CT), but also in orthopedics (skeletal system), cardiology (heart attack risk assessment) and many other areas.

Common applications:

• Neurology (e.g., in Parkinson’s disease diagnosis).
• Clarification of heart diseases such as angina pectoris
• In orthopedics, the combination with CT helps in the diagnosis of, for example, inflammation of bones and joints, fracture healing disorders, prosthesis loosening or bone cancer.
• Many other procedures for the clarification of other organs with nuclear medicine

The Radiology Center offers the following procedures, among others:

Salivary gland scintigraphy is used to assess the function of the major salivary glands of the head (parotid gland, submandibular gland). In cases of suspected Mb. Sjögren’s disease, salivary gland scintigraphy may be useful to confirm the diagnosis and to assess the severity of the disease. Furthermore, salivary gland scintigraphy is useful in the clarification of xerostomia, as well as before and after radiotherapy (external neck irradiation).

Tc99m sestamibi parathyroid scintigraphy is used in cases of known primum or, in exceptional cases, sec. Hyperparathyroidism for preoperative localization diagnosis. This allows minimally invasive surgery.