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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Nuclear scans use radioactive substances to see structures and functions inside your body. They use a special camera that detects radioactivity.

Before the test, you receive a small amount of radioactive material. You may get it as an injection. Sometimes you swallow it or inhale it. Then you lie still on a table while the camera makes images. Most scans take 20 to 45 minutes.

Nuclear scans can help doctors diagnose many conditions, including cancers, injuries, and infections. They can also show how organs like your heart and lungs are working.

Start Here

• General Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Nuclear Medicine (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) Also in Spanish
• Nuclear Medicine Imaging (American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - PDF - In English and Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Radiation Exposure from Medical Exams and Procedures (Health Physics Society) - PDF

Specifics

• Heart Tests (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Hepatobiliary Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Lymphoscintigraphy (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• PET Scan (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Renal (Kidney) Scintigraphy (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Skeletal Scintigraphy (Bone Scan) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America)
• SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) Scan (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Scan and Uptake (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Your Radiologist Explains Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Radionuclide Imaging (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tomography, Emission-Computed (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Bone scintigraphy based on deep learning model and modified growth optimizer.
• Article: A series of cases of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy with negative bone...
• Article: Deep learning model using planar whole-body bone scintigraphy for diagnosis of...
• Nuclear Scans -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• RadiologyInfo: Glossary of Terms (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American College of Radiology Accredited Facility Search (American College of Radiology)
• Food and Drug Administration
• RadiologyInfo (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Children

• Pediatric Nuclear Medicine (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America)

Women

• Radiation Exposure and Pregnancy (Health Physics Society) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Bone scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Brain PET scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Gallbladder radionuclide scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart PET scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nuclear ventriculography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish