Nuclear Medicine

With technological advances in the imaging and treatment of diseases, diseases and physiological events can now be imaged at the molecular level and individualized, targeted treatments are planned. Nuclear Medicine examinations are easy examinations that do not cause distress to the patient. They are generally referred to as scintigraphy examinations. These examinations provide detailed information about the structure and function of organs and are used in disease diagnosis, treatment guidance and patient follow-up. Depending on the organ to be examined in scintigraphic examinations, compounds containing different radioactive substances are administered intravenously in very small doses or orally in some studies. The radiation dose received by the patient during scintigraphic examinations is not different from radiological examinations (such as chest radiography, computed tomography) and is even lower. In children, examinations can be performed even in the newborn period. Pregnant women are not examined except in rare cases. Imaging is usually performed after a certain waiting period. The waiting time varies between 15 minutes and 2 hours depending on the nature of the test. Imaging is done with a special system known as a gamma camera. This imaging system does not produce radiation, it records gamma rays from the radioactive material previously given to the patient. The functional images obtained are evaluated by a physician specialized in Nuclear Medicine. Radiation is already present in nature, in our environment and in our homes, and is used for diagnosis and treatment in the field of health. Radiation will be used for your health at minimum doses in the examinations performed in the nuclear medicine department. In the Nuclear Medicine department; different imaging drugs (Radiopharmaceuticals) and cameras with different features (PET / CT, Gamma cameras, SPECT / CT...) are used to show the working status, anatomy, physiology and pathology of organs such as heart, kidney, lung, thyroid, liver and brain. In many different diseases such as cancer, infection, vascular occlusion, metabolic disorders, kidney disorders, brain diseases, age-related changes... Nuclear medicine examinations can collect information about the presence of the disease and its level, if any, and in some diseases such as thyroid diseases, interventions are made for the treatment of the disease. Many diseases give symptoms at the molecular level before they give an anatomical appearance. In this way, diseases are diagnosed at an early stage and the success rate of treatment is increased. The Nuclear Medicine unit is equipped with Philips Gemini TF PET/CT (16 slices), GE NM530c Cardiac gamma camera and Philips BrightView SPECT/CT devices. The PET/CT device has Time of Flight technology with high temporal resolution. In these modern systems, PET/CT images are obtained with better resolution and superior image quality with less radiation. The GE NM530c gamma camera is a specialized machine for cardiac scintigraphy only. This system, of which there are three in Turkey, is distinguished from other gamma cameras by its high technological infrastructure. With this technology called semisolid detector structure, the radiation dose received by patients who will undergo Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy (Heart imaging) is reduced 4 times, the time they spend in the camera is shortened 4 times (Approximately 3 minutes) and the quality of the images obtained increases many times over. The Philips BrightView SPECT/CT device is equipped with a CT with Flat Detector. The SPECT/CT device is not available in every Nuclear Medicine center and increases the specificity of many Nuclear Medicine examinations, especially bone scintigraphy and sentinel lymph node examination. It enables more precise and accurate imaging. Imaging Methods and Treatment Applications