Nuclear
Medicine Unit
Ninewells Hospital & Medical School
Information for Patients
|
Nuclear
Medicine Unit |
General Information about Nuclear Medicine
What is a Scan?
We use a small amount of radioactivity to obtain information about how your body is working. It looks at the 'function' of your body. This will help your consultant to understand your illness.
When you come to us we will give you a small radioactive dose. You may then have to wait before the rest of the test. We will then take pictures with a gamma camera.
A gamma camera
consists of a bed and one or two box-like detectors attached to a circular
gantry. The gantry is short.
It is not like being in a tunnel. However,
the detectors do need to be close to your body to take the best pictures.
Click here to see images of the Gamma Cameras.
We perform many different types of scan in this department. Details of our endocrine scans can be found by clicking one of the buttons at the end of this document.
Is the Radiation Dangerous?
No. The amount of radiation you receive is small. It is similar to that from an X-ray examination.
Will it Hurt ?
If your scan includes an injection then you will only feel the 'pinprick' of the needle. You should not feel any ill effects from the radioactive dose. It does not make you sleepy. It does not stop you from driving a car.
If I am on Medication, Should I Stop?
For some of our endocrine tests it is necessary to take extra medication or stop an existing medication. Your hospital consultant will tell you. The pages for the individual tests will give you an idea of what he may ask you to do.
How to get to the Nuclear Medicine Unit at Ninewells Hospital
If
you are bringing a child for a scan, you will need to take them to the
Children’s Clinic. This is in
Outpatient Clinic 2. From the main
entrance on Level 7, go down
the first corridor on the right. Later
you will be brought to the Nuclear Medicine Unit.
For scans on adults, please come directly to the Nuclear Medicine Unit in Outpatient Area 5A.
From the main entrance on level 7, turn right, down the corridor opposite W H Smith. Follow the corridor until you reach Clinic 5, and then turn left. Report to Nuclear Medicine Reception, the second door on the right.
Is there anything I should tell the Staff before the scan?
If you are a woman, please tell us if you are pregnant, or if you think you may be pregnant. Tell us this before we give the dose to you. Also please tell us if you are breastfeeding.
What Do I Need to Do After the Scan?
You may eat,
drink and go where you wish. We may
ask you to drink more than usual for the rest of the day.
This is to help wash the radioactivity out of your body.
The rest will disappear naturally.
As you will be
slightly radioactive after the test, please avoid close contact with children
for the rest of the day. This is to
avoid exposing children to unnecessary radiation.
Close contact means having a child sitting next to you or on your knees
for more than half an hour.
What Happens to the Scan Result?
We will send a report of
the scan to your consultant. This
will normally take a week to ten days to reach them.
We cannot arrange lunch for outpatients. Cafeteria facilities are available, or you may wish to bring a packed lunch.
Keep in touch
If
you receive an appointment from us, a tracer will be made up specifically for
your scan appointment time. It will go to waste if you do not
attend. Therefore it is very important to let us know if you cannot keep
the appointment. If you cannot attend, please inform us immediately,
preferably by telephone using the number on the appointment letter you will
receive.
And Finally
We are a busy department doing about seven thousand scans a year. Although we do our best to keep to appointment times, sometimes things don’t go to plan and we end up running a bit late. If the start of your scan is delayed please be patient with us. We will try to keep you informed.
Links to other pages
These are the endocrine scans that we do, click on one to get more details
Click below to get back to the start of this site
Ó NHS Tayside; 2006; version 1.0
Disclaimer; no liability whatsoever is accepted for information
given and all such information, especially with regard to drug usage (UK version
provided), must be checked with a person’s health provider.
The procedures described above are those followed by the Nuclear Medicine Unit
at Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Practice elsewhere may be different. The unit serves patients from Tayside
and North Fife. Patients from elsewhere should refer to their local
clinicians for advice.