Suitability of Nuclear Medicine, Examinable Organs

It is very important to note that equipments used in nuclear medicine do not give an anatomical image, they can only form an image of the isotope distribution, thus

• alterations in organ function or in metabolism can be detected (e.g. blood supply of muscles can be examined with SPECT)
• malignant lesions can be discovered in the early stage (preventive effect)

 
Using nuclear medical imaging together with some kind of device suitable for taking anatomical images (most often with CT) makes accurate spatial localisation possible, which can be very important in treatment planning or surgery.

Various examinations can be carried out depending on the type of molecule being used. Organs that can be examined using nuclear medicine:

• brain: tumours, alterations in blood flow, energy uptake, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease (PET)
• thyroid, parathyroid (hyperfunction, tumours)
• heart (perfusion, blood supply)
• lung (embolism, ventilation problems – using radioactive gas)
• kidney, adrenal gland (blood flow)
• bones (tumours, metastases)
• prostate (tumour)
• practically any kind of tumour (PET)