Nuclear Medicine is a rapidly developing branch of medicine which uses radioisotopes for diagnostic imaging and therapy. All nuclear medicine investigations and therapeutic procedures with reference to subspecialities of medicine and surgery are available at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Amriat Hospital.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine is equipped with the state-of-the-art 8 slice PET-CT scanner (Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography), the first of its kind in the state of Kerala. It provides superior diagnostic information for patients with cancer, ischemic heart disease and certain neurologic conditions. In the three decades since its development, PET has been demonstrated to be a clinically proven and safe method for imaging a variety of disorders. The advantages of PET have been augmented by the addition of CT in the same gantry providing combined imaging in one sitting. PET-CT is a whole-body imaging procedure, is cost-effective and is used in the staging, and follow-up for most cancers, including lymphomas, lung, colorectal, gynaecological, head, neck and breast cancers. It is also used to evaluate treatment response after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Mid cycle PET-CT is useful to ascertain if the patient is responding to chemotherapy, so that regimes can be modified. It is also used in Radiotherapy planning. PET is able to discover these changes in their earliest stages, often before any symptoms appear. With this information on early developing cancers, effective treatment plans can be initiated sooner. PET can sometimes eliminate the need for other invasive procedures and by correctly staging cancers, may prevent unnecessary surgical procedures.
Nuclear Medicine imaging or Scintigraphy utilizes a dual head gamma camera to record the physiological activity of selected organs or body systems. This imaging is fundamentally different from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), for these methods only convey anatomic information. In most diseases, physiological changes precede anatomic changes, so scintigraphic evidence of a disease process can be diagnosed at an earlier stage. On the other hand, the MRI and CT are useful for clinical diagnosis after the disease process causes significant anatomic alterations. The gamma camera images the gamma rays emitting from the patient who has been injected with minute quantities of a radioactive tracer bonded to various test specific pharmaceuticals.
| PROCEDURE | INDICATIONS |
| THYROID SCAN | To assess thyrotoxicosis, Graves disease, toxic MNG, thyroiditis, thyroid nodule evaluation, lingual thyroid etc |
| PARATHYROID SCAN | To assess parathyroid adenoma, hyperplasia, ectopic parathyroid adenomas |
| MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION/ THALLIUM SCAN | To evaluate IHD, physiological significance of known coronary stenosis, Coronary artery disease, False positive TMT, Baseline ECG changes like LBBB, Risk stratification of CAD, Presurgical cardiac evaluation, to assess myocardial viability before CABG prior to surgery for congenital heart disease, follow-up of Kawasaki disease |
| MUGA SCAN | To evaluate accurate LVEF, regional wall motion abnormalities in CAD, patients with obesity, COPD, prior to adriamycin and other cardiotoxic drug therapy |
| RENOGRAM | To assess GFR of individual kidneys esp. in donors, neonatal hydronephrosis, PUJ obstructions, obstructed megaureter. Relative function evaluation in patients with renal malignancy prior to nephrectomy, ectopic kidneys, post renal transplant evaluations |
| DMSA SCAN | To assess UTI (Renal scars), ectopic kidneys, accurate function assessment of individual kidneys |
| DIRECT / INDIRECT RADIONUCLIDE MCU SCAN | To assess VU reflux, UTI, hydroureteronephrosis |
| WHOLE BODY BONE SCAN | To evaluate skeletal mets, bone malignancy, low backache, tuberculosis of bone, avascular necrosis, metabolic bone disease, stress fracture, osteomyelitis versus cellulitis. |
| GALLIUM SCAN | Assessment of prosthetic infections, evaluation of lymphoma (Hodgkin's & non Hodgkin's), fever of unknown origin |
| LUNG PERFUSION & VENTILATION | Pulmonary embolism, lung vascularity assessment in children with congenital heart disease, predict FEV1 in patients planned for pneumonectomy/lobectomy |
| LIVER-SPLEEN SCAN | Alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hemangioma, jaundice, Budd chiari syndrome. |
| HEPATOBILIARY SCAN | Differentiate neonatal hepatitis vs biliary atresia, postop bile leak, choledochol cyst, post liver transplant cases, gall bladder dyskinesia, acute/chronic cholecystitis. |
| MECKEL'S SCAN | Evaluation of meckels diverticulum (Ectopic gastric mucosa), malena, GI bleed. |
| GASTRO INTESTINAL BLEEDING | To evaluate occult GI bleed and localize the site of bleed |
| GASTRIC EMPTYING | Diabetic gastroparesis. |
| GASTRO ESOPHAGEAL REFLUX ( Milk scan) | Recurrent respiratory infections, heart burns |
|
DACRYO SCINTIGRAPHY FOR EYES |
To evaluate tear duct patency |
| LOW DOSE I-131 THERAPY | Treatment of thyrotoxicosis – Graves disease, Toxic MNG, Autonomous toxic nodule |
| HIGH DOSE I-131 THERAPY | Treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma and metastases |
| STRONTIUM THERAPY | Palliative bone pain therapy for cancer patients |
| MIBG THERAPY | Malignant pheochromocytoma, neuroblastoma |
| YTTRIUM MICROSPHERES | Treatment of hepatocellular cancer and metastases |
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