Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body.
It is a safe, painless, and cost-effective way to image the body and treat disease. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique, because it provides doctors with information about both structure and function. It is a way to gather medical information that would otherwise be unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more expensive diagnostic tests. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures often identify abnormalities very early in the progress of a disease, long before many medical problems become apparent through other diagnostic tests.
Asiri Surgical is the only place in the country with the facility to check and treat the entire body with this revolutionary form of treatment. This is why 90% of all cancer patients in Sri Lanka and about 5% of brain and 5% heart patients are currently being treated at Asiri Surgical.
You’ll see that we really do offer you a better experience all round.
Asiri Surgical Nuclear Medicine team consists of well qualified, well trained and experienced team of Consultant Radiologists and Radiographers. Almost all of them have even foreign training and experience. The Nuclear Medicine department is functioning under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) / Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board. (S.L.A.E.B.) and international standards are maintained.
All the Patients are referred to this department by the Consultant who is treating the Patients and an appointment is made in advanced. All the Patients are seen by a Consultant Radiologist in the Nuclear Medicine department before the Patient being Scanned and protocols are planned according to the past history of the Patient and existing condition. Patients Blood Sugar level and serum Creatinine level have to asses prior to the scan. The only preparation is to keep the Patient fasting 4 – 6 Hours prior to the PET/CT Scan. Any inquiries can be made during working hours by visiting the Nuclear Medicine Department or over the Telephone at any time of the Day.
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This is a Tomographic Technique that computes the three dimensional distribution of radioactivity based on the annihilation photons that are emitted by Positron Emissions known as radiotracers. PET allows a minimally-invasive, quantitative assessment of biochemical and functional processes.
The most commonly used tracer is the Glucose analogue FDG or Fluorodeoxyglucose. FDG accumulation in tissues is proportional to the amount of Glucose utilization. After administration of an adequate amount of FDG, static images are acquired approximately 40-60 minutes after the administration of FDG. FDG PET/CT is a sensitive imaging modality for the detection, staging, as well as for assessment of therapy response in Oncology.
The main purpose of the patient preparation is to reduce tracer uptake in normal tissue while maintaining and optimizing tracer uptake in the target structures such as tumor tissues. Hence blood glucose must be within acceptable levels. Also, serum creatinine levels should be within acceptable range.
An imaging technique for molecular function of organs (skeleton, thyroid, kidneys, lung, heart, liver, gallbladder, etc.). Gamma Cameras image the radiation emitted from a radioactive pharmaceutical introduced into a patient’s body. It maps early functional changes in disease, compared to other radiological tests like X-ray & CT.
e.g. Bone scans become positive six months before X-ray changes occur
The Gamma Camera offers a range of advantages for both doctors and patients.
