Nuclear Medicines in India

Nuclear medicine is now commonplace. As it involves use of radioactive isotopes in very small doses in diagnosing and treatment of diseases, radioactive medicine injected or administered orally and the distribution in the organ is scanned using a Gamma camera. Tariffs are low starting from US$ 95 for Thallium rest (SPECT), US$ 43 for lung perfusion and venogram of upper or lower limbs, US$ 335 for Ventilation study, US$ 40 for a whole body skeletal study and US4 20 for Tc-99m Thyroid scan. Various non-cardiac planar / SPECT studies for bone, thyroid, liver and lungs scanning functions are performed at specialized centers in India. Diagnostic imaging of the brain, stomach, kidneys, heart, adrenal glands as well as sites of occult infection with the help of sophisticated Gamma Camera with tomographic facilities linked to computer systems can also be performed at many of these centers.

Department of Nuclear - Medicine at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore is equipped with the latest gamma camera assisted by an ultra-sensitive fast computer and is managed by highly trained & competent medical and technical experts. Our procedures commonly called (Scintigraphic investigations or scan) provide valuable functional-information (to a certain extent structural information as well) that can enable physicians / surgeons to make an early diagnosis. These tests are relatively safe, painless and are considered to be among the safest diagnostic tests available.
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Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine began approximately 50 years ago and has evolved into a major medical specialty for both diagnosis and therapy of serious disease. More than 3,900 hospital-based nuclear medicine departments in the United States perform over 10 million nuclear medicine imaging and therapeutic procedures each year. Despite its integral role in patient care, nuclear medicine is still often confused with other imaging procedures, including general radiology, CT, and MRI.

Nuclear medicine studies document organ and function and structure, in contrast to conventional radiology, which creates images based upon anatomy. Many of the nuclear medicine studies can measure the degree of function present in an organ, often times eliminating the need for surgery. Moreover, nuclear medicine procedures often provide important information that allows the physician to detect and treat a disease early in its course when there may be more success. It is nuclear medicine that can best be used to study the function of a damaged heart or restriction of blood flow to parts of the brain. The liver, kidneys, thyroid gland, and many other organs are similarly imaged.

Manipal Hospital, Bangalore are among the most recognized center in Bangalore and has strived to provide the best of the treatment and always has looked out to incorporate the latest techniques and technology in Nuclear Medicines.

Our nuclear medicine department offers a wide spectrum of Radionuclide imaging procedures and some of its applications are given below:

++High risk patients having strong family history of heart disease/ DM/ Hypertension.

++Equivocal/ false Treadmill test.

++To rule out impending ischemia in other territories for future cardiac events in
patients recovering from acute MI.

++For assessment of viable myocardium in patients with old MI.

++Follow up of patients who have undergone CABG/Post angioplasty

++To evaluate ventricular dysfunction in patients receiving CARDIO-TOXIC
drugs.

++Liver Scan

++Thyroid Scan

++Gallium Scan

++Pulmonary embolism (COPD)

Nuclear Medicines in India FAQ's

What is Nuclear Medicine ?
Nuclear Medicine involves the use of radioactive materials, or Isotopes, to obtain specific diagnostic information. These Isotopes transmit a pattern of rays representing the organ size, shape and function. The rays are detected by a special camera which, when coupled with a computer, produces a characteristic image on a screen. The amount of radiation to which the patient is exposed causes no significant danger. The tracer material a radionuclide is eliminated from the body in a day or two. Complications or side effects are rare.

What Will The Exam Be Like ?
The individual who will be performing the examination on you is known as a Nuclear Medical technologist. This technologist has completed a rigorous course of education and training, and works under close supervision of the radiologist (a radiologist is a physician who specializes in the study of imaged tests such as Ultrasound, X-Rays etc.) to assure the most accurate results from your exam. Your technologist will gently position you on the scanning table under the camera A radionuclide will then be injected or taken orally. This makes it possible for the camera to detect certain organs and their functions. Most scans require many different images and perhaps a few position changes. You will be asked to lie still. Each scan will take about three minutes some may take longer. Movement may result in the need for additional scans.

How Long Will The Exam Take ?
Time may vary significantly depending on the nature of the study and other factors. Your doctor will advise you of the amount of time needed for your particular exam.

Is it safe to nurse my baby after administration of the isotope ?
Although very little radioactivity is excreted in the breast milk, it is better to discontinue nursing for a time. How long you stop depends on the agent administered and can vary 24 hours or longer. It is important for you to let us know if you are breast feeding, just as it is important to inform the nuclear medicine personnel if you are pregnant, or think that you could be pregnant.
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Is Nuclear Medicines used for Cardiac Study ?
There are several types of heart studies in Nuclear Medicine. The most common study is a myocardial perfusion scan to access coronary heart disease. This is usually a two part study. Typically, the first part is a resting myocardial perfusion scan - scanning is performed about 30 minutes after the tracer is given to the patient intravenously in a resting condition. The second part is a stress myocardial perfusion scan. Injection of the tracer is done while the patient is exercising on a treadmill machine. If the patient cannot exercise well, a pharmacological stress study can be performed instead. The patient will be given a medicine, that dilates heart blood vessels or makes the heart work faster, before the radiotracer is injected.

I'm scheduled for a nuclear medicine exam and have had a reaction to X-ray dyes. What should I do ?
Nuclear medicine employs tracer amounts of radioactive drugs called radiopharmaceuticals, not iodinated dyes used in X-ray and CAT scans. No allergic reactions are expected to occur.

Is the radioactivity I will receive harmful ?
More than 9 million nuclear medicine exams are done each year in the India. The amount of radiation received is about what an individual receives to the whole body each year in the course of daily life (so called "background" or "natural radiation"). It is comparable to many conventional X-rays, and less than those X-rays using fluoroscopy such as GI series and angiography. Nuclear medicine exams are among the safest of radiological procedures.

Why may it be necessary for my child to be sedated ?
As in adults, the scanning procedure can take several minutes (possibly up to 45 minutes). It is very important that the patient lie absolutely still during the acquisition of the scan. In children, generally aged 6 months to 6 years, it is frequently necessary to use sedation. This is always done in conjunction with a trained radiology nurse, your referring pediatric physician, and sometimes the Department of Anesthesiology according to our sedation policies.