Nuclear Medicine/PET
This subspecialty section consists of radiologists who have fellowship training and board certification in nuclear medicine and includes nuclear cardiology and PET imaging. Radiology Associates of Ridgewood provides nuclear medicine and PET services exclusively at The Valley Hospital.
In nuclear medicine, small amounts of radioactive substances are introduced into the body to help diagnose or treat disease. These substances are attracted to specific organs or tissues and emit rays that are captured by special cameras to form images. Unlike anatomical testing like X-ray or CT, these images provide metabolic or functional information about the organs or tissues. This kind of testing is complementary to anatomic testing to help form a more complete picture of your health.
Nuclear Medicine procedures include:
- PET (positron emission tomography) scans, a unique way to image glucose metabolism in the body; used to diagnose and stage tumors, as well as in the evaluation of dementia.
- Whole body, extremity and multi-phase bone imaging
- Infection imaging to include white blood cell and gallium scans
- Gastrointestinal protocols for GI bleeding, biliary function, liver hemangiomas and gastric emptying
- Kidney imaging
- Nuclear cardiology – Gated heart and SPECT, single and dual-isotope, pharmacologic stress
- Endocrinology – Thyroid uptake and scan, parathyroid imaging
- Tumor Imaging – PET, gallium, octreoscan
- Iodine therapy for hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer