Nuclear medicine falls under the umbrella of diagnostic imaging, but is a unique imaging modality. This technique allows us to administer a radioactive substance (radionuclide) either by injection or by mouth and observe the activity within the patient, providing both morphologic (form and structure) and functional information.
Common nuclear medicine procedures in veterinary medicine, all of which are performed at Angell, include:
These 4 studies all use a common radiopharmaceutical, Technetium (as Pertechnetate; 99m-TcO4), which is injected into the patient.
Our team acquires dynamic (real-time moving acquisition) or static (summed over time) images using a gamma camera. The radioactive patient is placed on the gamma camera, which detects the emissions from the patient, and an image is generated that shows the pattern of radiopharmaceutical uptake/distribution that will vary depending on the organ system being evaluated.
“Tec” is very safe and has a relatively short half-life (6.02h) meaning that the animals are releasable in approximately 24 hours in Massachusetts. For more in-depth descriptions of these studies, please click here.
Referring Veterinarians: To find out more about our diagnostic imaging services available to referring veterinarians, please click here.