Nuclear medicine specialists use isotopes to look into the depths of e.g. heart, bones, kidneys, liver, lungs, and even the brain.

Scintigraphyassesses the size, shape and position of a specific organ. But not only that - you can also see if it works well. It is an isotope test - it means that at the beginning the patient is administered intravenously (less often orally or inhaled) a small dose of radioactive isotopes (so-called radiotracers). the weight of the sick person.
Radioisotopes used in scintigraphic examinations emit gamma radiation. The dose absorbed by the patient is absolutely safe for he alth - it is not greater than the one we get during X-ray examinations. In addition, isotopes used in radioisotope diagnostics decay quickly and are excreted from the body.

Scintigrafia: in the camera lens

Most isotope research does not require any special preparation. Usually, the patient does not need to be on an empty stomach - the exception is, for example, cholescintigraphy (evaluation of the bile ducts). Young children are most often given a sedative so that they do not move too much during the examination.

Some tests are performed immediately after giving the radiotracer. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to wait (in the case of the thyroid gland - approx. 15 minutes, liver - approx. 20 minutes, bones - approx. 3 hours) for the assessed organ to absorb it. Then the patient has to face a special device called a gamma camera. Scintigraphy is performed in various positions, usually lying down, sometimes standing or sitting. You do not need to undress for the isotope test, but remember to get rid of metal objects, e.g. coins from your pocket, a belt with a buckle or a decorative pendant from the neck.

It happens that the whole body of the patient is examined. The patient then lies down on a special, movable bed. It slowly moves forward so that the subject is "filmed" with a gamma camera from head to toe. Its "lens", resembling a white tabletop with a side length of several dozen centimeters, moves just above the patient. Special sensors ensure that the appropriate distance of the gamma camera from his body is kept. When the patient is breathing - the camera head also rises and falls slightly with each breath. Modern devices of thistype have 2 or 3 "lenses". Placed on a tripod in the shape of a large circle, they can rotate around the patient or stand still. Thanks to this, the gamma camera sees the patient from different angles and can create three-dimensional images of the organ or the whole organism.

Crystal painting

A special crystal is placed in the gamma camera head, which captures the radiation emitted by the examined organ after absorbing an appropriate dose of the radioisotope. The program installed in the computer connected to the gamma camera transforms the data from the head into an image of the organ visible also on the monitor. The doctor can see the entire organ and its functions, e.g. heart movement, blood flow, bile, cerebrospinal fluid, food, urine. It can be a valuable supplement to examinations, e.g. radiological examinations.
The scintigraphy result is saved in the computer memory. The patient's doctor receives a printout of the photos with a detailed description. For example, if there are neoplastic metastases, the printout shows the entire outline of the patient - the outline of the body and a clear image of the skeletal system with visible, almost black spots of various sizes showing the places where the metastases occurred.
Doctors can also obtain colored images of an organ. This is the case, for example, in the examination of the thyroid gland. Different types of thyroid nodules to varying degrees absorb the radioisotope and "glow" lighter or darker - then the scintigraphy (printout) shows, for example, red glowing autonomic adenomas, i.e. hot lumps. Lumps called when cold, they do not accumulate the radiotracer, then dark places are visible on the printout.

Safe examination

Scintigraphy is performed only on the doctor's orders. Depending on the organ under examination - it takes minutes, several hours, sometimes several days.
The patient usually does not have to stay in the hospital. After the test, he should drink approx. 1.5 liters of water, tea or juice to excrete the entire radioisotope along with the urine as soon as possible. After the tests, you do not usually need to take any special precautions, but it is better not to be in the company of young children and pregnant women.
A scintigraphic examination can be performed on a person of any age, even in a newborn. It should not be carried out only in pregnant women and during breastfeeding. Therefore, women of reproductive age referred for scintigraphy should perform this test in the first ten days of the cycle - thus avoiding the risk of radiation in a very early pregnancy, which they do not know yet exist.

Important

Scintigraphy is performed to:

  • check if there are neoplastic metastases to other organs;
  • see what the blood flow to the muscle looks likecardiac (e.g. is there a risk of a heart attack);
  • examine the cerebral blood flow, the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (e.g. detect its possible leakage);
  • non-invasive examination of kidney function;
  • determine if pulmonary circulatory disorders (including pulmonary embolism) have not occurred;
  • diagnose liver, stomach and duodenal function (reflux);
  • look for foci of inflammation throughout the body;
  • determine the nature of thyroid tumors and locate enlarged parathyroid glands
  • check whether the treatment is effective.

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