Nuclear medicine scanning test

Nuclear medicine scanning tests use a camera to take pictures of certain tissues in the body after a radioactive tracer (radionuclide or radioisotope) accumulates in the tissues. The radioactive tracer helps make the tissues visible on the scanning pictures.

Each type of tissue that may be scanned (including bones, organs, glands, and blood vessels) uses a different radioactive compound as a tracer. The tracer remains in the body temporarily before it is eliminated as waste, usually in the urine or stool (feces).

For more information, see the medical test:

• Bone scan.
• Cardiac blood pool scan.
• Gallbladder scan.
• Gallium scan.
• Kidney scan.
• Liver and spleen scan.
• Lung scan.
• Positron emission tomography.
• Salivary gland scan.
• Testicular scan.
• Vein scan.

Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: January 8, 2007
Medical Review:	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology
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