Nuclear medicine imaging is also called radionuclide imaging. It is very effective since it shows images of not only the parts of body but also the functioning of the body. This is very useful in diagnosing any disease in almost all parts of the body.

Nuclear medicine imaging is more powerful than any other imaging tool since it helps in early detection and prevention of many diseases. For example, an x-ray will show the bones as normal. But nuclear medicine imaging will show even the hairline fractures in bones. Therefore, the doctor can take prevention methods easily. Nuclear medicine is also helpful in diagnosing cancer growth in the body.

Nuclear medicine breast imaging is known as scintimammography. This will help the doctor to diagnose breast cancer. The patient will be inserted a radioactive dye. This dye will react differently if there is any cancer growth in the breast.

Scintimammography will differentiate the cancer tissues and non-cancer tissues in the body. This will help the doctor to diagnose the cancer. The current radioactive substance allowed by Food and Drug Administration is technetium-99.

Nuclear medicine breast imaging is required for patients who have experienced any breast abnormalities. Other patients who have dense breast tissues need nuclear medicine breast imaging test also.

If any large breast abnormalities are not shown clearly in mammography or ultrasound, then scintimammography is essential to get clear images. It is also helpful in identifying multiple tumors. Ultrasound can show breast cancer growth in one area. But scintimammography with nuclear medicine will show cancer growth in several areas in the breast.

However, some researches show that nuclear medicine imaging for detecting small abnormalities in breast will provide 40 to 60% accurate result. But for detecting large abnormalities, nuclear medicine is more effective.

The nuclear medicine breast imaging works by injecting the radioactive dye in the patient's vein. The dye will be absorbed by normal tissues in a small amount. However, cancer tissues will absorb it in larger amount. Then gamma cameras are used to take clear images from several angles. This will help the physician to clearly analyze the problems and the level of cancer growth.

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