Nuclear medicine tests are very safe to perform. It involves the use of radiation therapy for diagnosing and treating different types of diseases. There are different types of nuclear medicines.

Bone/ Joint Scan- you can find out the abnormal areas present in the joints or the bones with the help of Nuclear Medicines. Radioactive material is injected in the veins which, then accumulates in the bony skeleton. The images are taken a few hours after the injection. The radioactive material will be disposed from your body through urine.

Gastric Emptying- this test is used to find out the functioning of the stomach. The patient is given some solid food like a scrambled egg to eat or liquids like a glass of water to drink and then the pictures are taken immediately for about two hours.

Gallium Scan- this test is done for detecting the tumor or the infections. A special type of camera is used for taking the images. This imaging will continue for 24, 48 or 96 hours depending on your medical history after injecting the radioactive material. It also requires the patient to take the enema, so as to evaluate the abdomen clearly.

Hepatobiliary Scan- this test is performed for evaluating the functioning of the gall bladder and also for assessing the bile ducts. The radioactive material is injected to the person and then the images are taken using a particular camera that may range from one hour to about three hours.

Gastroesophagal Reflux Study- the aim behind this test is to detect whether the liquid material in your body is moving in a reverse direction from the stomach to the esophagus. This is also called as reflux. Radioactive material combined with liquid is inserted into the patient orally. A binder is positioned on the abdomen for pushing the liquid and the radioactive material down into the stomach. The images are taken and then the binder is removed.

SPECT Brain Test- this test is performed in two parts. In the first part, an injection is given intravenously through which the medicines are also administered to the patient's body. This process takes about half an hour. Imaging is done after 2 hours. The imaging will continue for about 45 minutes.

These are some of the types of nuclear medicines.

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