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Mount Sinai's Nuclear Medicine Division provides patients with imaging procedures
that will provide important information about both the anatomy and the function of
one or more parts of the body.
The results from these procedures will be used to help determine
a patient's medical condition and identify the most effective
treatment possible, if treatment is in fact necessary.
Commonly referred to as scans, nuclear medicine procedures use compounds
that contain small amounts of radioactive substances. In most
cases, the compound is injected into a vein in the arm or
swallowed in pill or liquid form. A special detector known
as a gamma camera is then used to take pictures, or images,
of the part of the body being studied.
These
scans are:
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General
Information for Patients |
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If your prescribed scan is not listed here please call us for information
at 212-241-6611.
Only your physician can determine which exam will give information beneficial to your
treatment. All exams require a referral from your physician.
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 The
specially trained team of nuclear medicine professionals uses
the latest technologies and equipment for scanning.
These professionals are available to answer questions about any
part of the four-step procedure:
1. Administration of the Compound: Each type
of scan uses a specific compound and method of administration
most appropriate for the part of the body or organ system
being evaluated.
2.
Circulation Time: To make sure the chemical compound
accumulates in the part of the body being studied, there is
often a wait between the administration of the compound and
the scanning. The waiting period varies depending on the type
of scan. The technologist who administers the compound can
specify how long the waiting time will be.
3.
Taking the Scan: Different scans take different amounts
of time. The technologist can specify how long the particular
procedure will take.>
4.
Interpreting the Scan: A nuclear medicine physician
analyzes the images and provides the referring physician with
a report on the findings. The referring physician later reviews
the test results with the patient.
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 There
are many types of nuclear medicine procedures, each providing
information that may give a doctor important insights into
a given medical condition.
Nuclear
medicine specialists identify and prepare the most effective
chemical compounds to detect any abnormalities in an organ's
structure or function or to characterize the status of a previously
diagnosed condition.
Some
of the most commonly performed procedures are described below.
(Times indicated are approximations only.)
If
you have been scheduled for another type of scan that is not
listed here, please ask a staff member for more information.
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Purpose:
To evaluate orthopedic injuries, fractures, tumors, or unexplained
bone pain
Prior
Preparation: None
Administration:
Injection into a vein
Waiting
Time: 2-4 hours, during which patients are instructed
to drink fluids to flush the excess chemical compound from
their system
Scan
Time: 65 minutes
For
more information about diagnostic procedures for the musculoskeletal
system, click
here.
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 Purpose:
To evaluate cerebral perfusion and function
Prior
Preparation: None
Administration:
Injection into a vein
Waiting
Time: 0-45 Minutes
Scan
Time: 50 minutes
For
more information about diagnostic procedures for the central
nervous system, click
here.
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Breast
Cancer and Melanoma
( Lymphoscintigraphy:
Sentinel Node) Scan |
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 Purpose:
To delineate the sentinel node for the surgeon to remove and
the pathologist to examine
Prior
Preparation: None
Administration:
Injection into the tissues and skin around the lesion
Waiting
Time: Variable
Scan
Time: 2-3 hours
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Cancer
(Oncology: F-18 FDG PET, Thallium-201, Gallium-67, Tc-99m Sestamibi)
Scan |
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 Purpose:
To detect changes in tissues of the body that could signify
tumor
Prior
Preparation: The patient cannot eat or drink anything
for four to six hours before the study.
Administration:
Injection into a vein
Waiting
Time: 45 minutes for F-18 FDG PET scans to several days
for Ga-67 scans
Scan
Time: 1 1/2 hours
For
more information about Oncology PET Scans at Mount Sinai,
click
here.
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Digestive
System (Gastric Emptying) Scan |
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Purpose:
To evaluate obstruction or slow digestion
Prior
Preparation: The patient cannot eat or drink anything
after midnight the night before the scan, except for medications,
which may be taken with a small amount of water.
Administration:
Eating of scrambled eggs mixed with a small amount of radioactive
substance
Waiting
Time: None
Scan
Time: 2 hours
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General
Body (Gallium) Scan |
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Purpose:
To evaluate infection and certain types of tumors
Prior
Preparation: None
Administration:
Injection into a vein
Waiting
Time: 2-3 days; additional scans may also be taken on
succeeding days
Scan
Time: 45-60 minutes>
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Heart
(Cardiac) PET Scan with Rb-82 (Rubidium-82) |
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 Purpose:
To determine whether the heart muscle circulation has been
affected by disease and to measure how well the heart
muscle pumps blood
Prior
Preparation: No caffeine prior to study, click
here for important information regarding this. No food
for 4 hours prior to study
Administration:
Two injections into a vein: one initially and one after the
waiting time, just before the scan
Waiting
Time: 20 minutes
Scan
Time: 70 minutes
For
more information about Cardiac PET Scans at Mount Sinai, click
here.
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 Purpose:
To evaluate infection, obstruction, trauma, or high blood
pressure
Prior
Preparation: The referring physician may recommend temporarily
stopping certain blood pressure medications. (Check with him/her
before doing so.)
Administration:
Injection in a vein
Waiting
Time: None
Scan
Time: 35 minutes
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Lung
(Ventilation Perfusion "V/Q") Scan |
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 Purpose:
To evaluate the air flow and blood flow in the lungs in the
assessment of pulmonary embolism (blood clot to the lungs).
Prior
Preparation: None
Administration:
Breathing an odorless tasteless mist mixed with oxygen for
the air flow phase. Injection into a vein for the blood flow
phase.
Waiting
Time: None
Scan
Time: 45-60 minutes
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Purpose:
To evaluate thyroid function and anatomy, evaluate palpable
nodes
Prior
Preparation: The referring physician may recommend temporarily
stopping certain thyroid medications. (Check with him/her
before doing so.) NO iodine containing foods prior to study,
call for instructions
Administration:
Oral ingestion of liquid or capsule
Waiting
Time: From one to three days with visits every day to department
Scan
Time: 35 minutes
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The
Division of Nuclear Medicine
Box 1141, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029
Guggenheim
Pavilion, MC-Level, Room 175
(Enter on Fifth or Madison Avenue at 100th Street)
For
information about Nuclear Medicine, call 212-241-6611.
To
Find
a Doctor click here or
call our toll-free Physician Referral Service at 1-800-MD-SINAI.
Reports and Billing: 212-241-7775
Fax: 212-289-2976
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