CaRi-heart technology
Revolutionary new technology to assess the risk of a serious heart condition or heart attack – many years before anything happens.
Nuclear medicine
Highly specialised diagnostic imaging using compound tracers
Nuclear medicine is a scanning technique used to create detailed pictures of how your bones, organs or tissues are functioning.
What is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear medicine imaging involves using a small amount of radioactive chemical (tracer), which is absorbed into your body and picked up by a specialised camera. The images created by a nuclear medicine scan can be used to identify tumours or diagnose suspected conditions. They're less invasive than other diagnostic procedures and are invaluable in the early detection of serious diseases, including cancer.
Common diagnostic tests that use nuclear medicine include bone scans, lung scans and certain tests for heart, thyroid and kidney function. Although nuclear medicine involves the use of radioactive materials, the amount of radiation you'll be exposed to during your scan is very small and considered safe.
The scan itself is a similar process to going for a standard CT scan, the patient however needs to have the tracer implemented prior to the scan taking place. Your doctor will organise for this in advance of your scan.
Nuclear medicine services at HCA UK
Our nuclear medicine expertise
We provide a range of nuclear medicine tests to help identify a range of unseen medical issues, including pinpointing tumours, diagnosing complex diseases or monitoring active cancer treatment. A nuclear medicine scan can take different forms and include:
A FDG PET scan is one of the more common nuclear medicine scans, used to assess the metabolic activity of certain tumours. It can also be used to stage a disease, or monitor the body during treatment. The scan involves an injection into a vein in your arm of FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), a substance similar to glucose. The scan will show your consultant how your body's cells are using energy.
A SPECT-CT scan is made up of two separate elements, a SPECT scan and a CT scan. The images from each scan are merged together to create the SPECT-CT scan. The process provides more accurate information about the anatomy and function of the area being scanned and makes it easier to identify problems.
PET-CT scans combine PET (positron emission tomography) and CT (computised tomography) technology in one full body scanner. This advanced nuclear imaging technique shows how the cells in the body are functioning at the same time as generating 2D and 3D images of inside the body.
The thyroid is a gland in the neck. It can be affected by several diseases. You can test for these in a thyroid scan, which is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. Our clinicians have experience of all aspects of thyroid disease and offer diagnostic services and treatment for every thyroid condition.
This nuclear medicine scan checks how well your gut absorbs bile salts, helping diagnose Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM). It is used to investigate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or chronic diarrhoea. You will need to swallow a capsule prior to the scan that contains a small amount of radioactive tracer.
This test is used to diagnose coronary heart disease and evaluate the extent of the disease where its presence is already known. It is also used to analyse injury to the heart following a heart attack. By scanning the heart during exercise and at rest, it detects any reduction to the blood supply.
Our nuclear medicine consultants
Our radiologists and consultants in nuclear medicine are experts in some of the most advanced diagnostic imaging techniques available. Patients are referred for nuclear medicine tests either by a GP or Consultant.
The consultants are supported by radiographers who will guide you through your scan on the day, and help make you as comfortable as possible.
Our Nuclear medicine locations
The Harley Street Clinic
35 Weymouth Street London W1G 8BJ
Molecular Imaging Centre
154 Harley Street London W1G 7LQ
The Shard Outpatients
The Shard, 32 St Thomas Street London SE1 9BS
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street London SE1 2PR
The Wellington Hospital
8A Wellington Place London NW8 9LE