Resources for Further Reading About Nuclear Medicine
EXAM PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
BONE
BONE SCAN
No preparation is required; patients should come well hydrated and will be encouraged to drink fluids between the time of the injection and the time of scanning.
DEXA (Bone Density) SCAN
No Preparation is required. No oral X-ray dye within 4 days before test.
CARDIAC
MUGA (Cardiac Blood Pool)
No preparation is required.
MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SCAN
Treadmill
- Nothing to eat or drink 3 hours before the test.
- Caffeine and alcohol should be avoided for 12 hours before the test.
- Ask your physician about Beta Blockers.
- Please avoid stomach acid reducing medications 1 day before treadmill test.
Pharmacologic
- Avoid all food or medication that contains caffeine, theophylline or aminophylline for 24 hours prior to the test; this means no tea, decaffeinated tea, herbal tea, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, soda and Excedrin.
- Please avoid stomach acid reducing medications 1 day before test.
- The test will take 2 hours.
CNS
BRAIN SPECT
No benzodiazepines 24 hours prior to your examination.
ENDOCRINE
THYROID SCAN
Avoid seafood for 1 week prior to test. Avoid X-ray contrast and thyroid hormones (Synthyroid, Levoxyl, Thyroid) for 4 weeks, PTU and Tapazole for 5 days. Nothing to eat for one hour prior to your first appointment.
THYROID WHOLE BODY METASTATIC SCAN
Nothing to eat or drink for 1 hour prior to dosing. The scan is usually performed 48 to 72 hours after dosing. Patients are typically prepared for this examination with thyrogen injections or thyroid hormone changes. Patients should contact us if they have not been told what to do. Please call us if you have had X-ray dye in the past 3 months.
PARATHYROID IMAGING
No Iodine contrast studies within 10 days of your appointment.
GI
GASTRIC EMPTYING
No food or drink after midnight before your examination and you should discontinue all sedatives 12 hours prior to the examination.
GE REFLUX
Take nothing by mouth (food or liquid) for 4 hours prior to your study.
HIDA SCAN (HEPATOBILIARY SCAN)
Take nothing by mouth (food or liquid) for 4 hours prior to your study. No narcotic or opiate based pain medication 6 hours prior to your study.
MECKEL’S DIVERTICULUM EXAM
Do not eat for 4 hours prior to test. Patients may be told to take Tagamet one day before test.
SALIVARY GLAND
No Thyroid Blocker Medication (SSKI or Perchlorate) 48 hours before your examination.
RENAL/GENITOURINARY
CAPTOPRIL RENAL SCAN
Patients should avoid ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (blood pressure medicines) for 48 hours prior to the scan; please consult your doctor about this. Patients will need to arrive hydrated.
DIURETIC RENAL SCAN
Hold your diuretics on day of exam.
PROSTASCINT
Detailed preparation required. Please call our center for complete instructions.
THERAPY
1-131 THERAPY HYPERTHYROIDISM
You will see a Nuclear Medicine Physician in consultation prior to treatment; he/she will discuss the treatment in detail including preparation.
1-131 THERAPY THYROID CARCINOMA
You will see a Nuclear Medicine Physician in consultation prior to treatment; he/she will discuss the treatment in detail including preparation.
TUMOR/INFECTION
TUMOR IMAGING GALLIUM SCAN
No contrast studies should be performed during your examination period of 72 hours.
MIBG
Detailed preparation required. Please call our center for complete instructions.
OCTREOTIDE SCAN
Detailed preparation required. Please call our center for complete instructions.
REFERENCES
http://www.snmmi.org/
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=3106
SNM’s “What is Nuclear Medicine?” page
http://www.discovermi.org/
SNM’s patient oriented website
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/nuclearmedicinediagnosticproceduresfaq.html
The Health Physics Society has a good site in general and this is a pretty good short list of FAQs
http://hps.org/documents/meddiagimaging.pdf
The Health Physics Society’s fact sheet on radiation exposure from diagnostic procedures
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gennuclear
Fairly comprehensive “What is Nuclear Medicine?” page
http://www.asnc.org/content_11495.cfm?navID=481
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology’s “About Nuclear Cardiology” page
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Radioisotopes/Radioisotopes-in-Medicine/#.UdSzwuCUfnY
World-nuclear.org is a fascinating site and has a good page about medical uses of radioactive isotopes