Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is an advanced imaging technique using mildly radioactive drugs to highlight cells with more metabolic activity than normal. Each drug, called a radiotracer, temporarily attaches to a specific tissue, cell, or cellular activity.The tracers send out radiation that’s picked up by one of several specialized devices. Then the device translates the information into an image. Radiotracers are naturally flushed out of your body, so you don’t need to worry about ongoing radiation.

 

When would I need nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine can diagnose many conditions, but Dr. Riedl uses advanced tracers and PET/CT scans to find cancer and brain conditions in their earliest stages.PET scans detect energy from the radiotracer, while CT scans use X-rays to create 3D images. Combining the two reveals the tumors’ precise location, size, and shape.

What should I expect during nuclear medicine?

After Dr. Riedl gives you the radiotracer, you wait 30-90 minutes for the drug to reach the targeted area. During the PET/CT scan, you lie on a table that moves into the opening in the center of the scanning machine. You only need to stay still while PET and CT technologies scan your body. The information goes to a computer that produces images. To learn more about nuclear medicine, call imagingwest or request an appointment online today.


What radiotracers are used in nuclear medicine?

Dr. Riedl uses a wide range of today’s most advanced radiotracers. A few examples include:

FDG (F-18 deoxyglucose): FDG consists of glucose with radioactive fluorine. Cancer cells use more glucose than healthy cells, allowing FDG to reveal many different cancers. Dr. Riedl also uses FDG to create images of the brain for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.

Cerianna: Cerianna detects estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Riedl was the first in Westchester county to offer this tracer.

PYLARIFY®: PYLARIFY detects prostate cancer by attaching to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein on the surface of cancer cells. This tracer shows the location and extent of the spread of prostate cancer through a whole-body PET/CT scan.

Axumin®: Axumin is used to determine if prostate cancer has returned after treatment.

Detectnet and Gallium-68 DOTATATE: Both radiotracers detect somatostatin receptor-positive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

Neuraceq: Neuraceq diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease by sticking to beta-amyloid plaques.

Helpful Information

 

Important to know

  • Please bring copies of your most recent CT, X-ray, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) films with you on the day of your PET/CT scan.

  • No special preparations are required in advance. You can have a small breakfast on the day of the examination.

  • Drink plenty of water one hour before the examination.

  • On the day of the examination, contact with pregnant women or young children should be avoided.

What you need for a PSMA PET-CT

  • The examination costs are not reimbursed by the health insurance companies.

  • Some private insurance companies cover part of the costs, you should definitely submit our fee note there.

  • Depending on the medical question, an individual tracer is produced for your examination.

If you need to cancel your appointment

  • If need to cancel your appointment, please inform us of this no later than the day before by 12 noon, otherwise we will have to charge a cancellation fee.

  • Also, if we can’t reach you to confirm the appointment 48 hours before the exam we will have to reschedule you. You can of course also call us if you are not reachable.

 

How a PSMA PET-CT works

  • We will inject you a small dose of the radioactive tracer substance specially prepared for you.

  • Then wait 120 minutes in a lying position to achieve the appropriate tracer distribution and enrichment.

  • The recording in the scanner takes about 20minutes.

  • Drink plenty of fluids after the examination to speed up the elimination of the tracer.

  • Please let us know if you suffer from claustrophobia. Here are some tips if you do.

Side effects

  • No side effects are to be expected from the injection of the radioactive tracer itself.

  • Side effects can result from the administration of iodine-containing contrast medium in the context of the possibly accompanying contrast medium-assisted computed tomography (intolerance reaction, hyperthyroidism, exacerbation of a pre-existing renal insufficiency).

  • Please make sure to point out in the informative discussion if you have had a reaction to a contrast medium in the past (reddening of the skin, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, etc.).