Nuclear Medicine & PET/CT
What is Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) to diagnose and treat disease. In imaging, the radiopharmaceuticals are detected by special types of cameras that work with computers to provide very precise pictures about the area of the body being imaged. In treatment, the radiopharmaceuticals go directly to the organ being treated.
Today, nuclear medicine offers procedures that are essential in many medical specialties, from paediatrics to cardiology to psychiatry. New and innovative nuclear medicine treatments that target and pinpoint molecular levels within the body are revolutionizing our understanding of and approach to a range of diseases and conditions.
Some commonly performed nuclear medicine procedures include bone scan, thyoid scan, lung scan (V/Q scan), renal scan, biliary scan, and thallium scan. All nuclear medicine procedures can be performed at Barwon Health.
Download Nuclear Medicine Brochure
What is PET imaging?
Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan, is a diagnostic examination that involves the acquisition of physiologic images based on the detection of radiation from the emission of positrons. Positrons are tiny particles emitted from a radioactive substance administered to the patient. The subsequent images of the human body developed with this technique are used to evaluate a variety of diseases.
PET imaging is now available at BMI Geelong Hospital, with a Siemens mCT installed in September 2010.
The mCT's functionality allows for co-registered PET and full diagnostic quality CT to be undertaken in one scan. By overlaying the PET and CT images, the mCT produces a 3D image which can accurately locate hard-to-detect areas of disease that may have previously been missed by older technologies.
BMI - Launch of PET/CT services to Medical Practitioners
Download PET Patient Information Sheet
PET/CT Update March 2011 - "No Waiting Time for PET/CT in Geelong"
For further information on this imaging technique try an internet search or the following web site.