Patient Information Resource Print E-mail
Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Mark Richardson from South Tees Hospital NHS Trust entered this year's competition 'How do you explain to others what you do?' with an eyecatching poster which provides simple brief statements under the headings:

What is Nuclear Medicine?

What does the scan involve?

What are the common tests performed?

Nuclear Medicine Treatments

How do I get the results of the scan?

Mark and his colleagues have kindly agreed to make the document available in a format which can be used by everyone for patient information purposes. Download the pdf document here.

Acknowledgments:

Mark Richardson, Stefanie Ollis & Claire Blood of the The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.
 
What Happens in a Nuclear Medicine Department? Print E-mail
Friday, 30 November 2007
Download this PowerPoint slide which explains What happens in a Nuclear Medicine Department in simple terms.
 
What is Nuclear Medicine? Print E-mail
Wednesday, 18 July 2007

 Download this PowerPoint slide which explains nuclear medicine in simple terms.

 

 

Nuclear Medicine covers the whole spectrum of medical diagnostic and investigational use of "unsealed" radionuclides, plus their therapeutic applications and the Society is committed to its safe practice and high quality throughout the United Kingdom.

Nuclear Medicine is older than CT, MRI and ultrasound.  It was first used in patients over 60 years ago.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging 

   
 A Gamma Camera
 A PET CT Scanner

Unlike most other methods of imaging the body, nuclear medicine describes organ function as well as structure.  This often makes earlier diagnosis possible. 

 

 

Nuclear Medicine Therapies 

Radiopharmaceuticals can be used to treat certain diseases.  In Europe the main therapies are:

  • Thyroid cancer and Hyperthyroidism

  • Lymphoma

  • Cancer bone pain

  • Joint pain and arthritis

 

The number of nuclear medicine therapies being developed and approved is increasing.

 		A Bone Scan 
  Link to  "nuclear medicine"  Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 3  Oct.  2007 
  A technetium bone scan showing tumours
 
Useful patient links Print E-mail
Tuesday, 06 February 2007

 

  • The Royal College of Radiologists Visiting the virtual hospital departments of the Royal College of Radiologists will help to make the visit to the real hospital a little less frightening and the outcome of your test or your treatment a little easier to understand.
  • Patient.co.uk Over 600 information leaflets on health and disease.
  • Health-EU Portal The Health and Consumers Directorate-General is pleased to present the Health-EU Portal (the official public health portal of the European Union) and the wide range of information and data on health-related issues and activities at both European and international level.
 
Following-up on patient X-ray and scan results Print E-mail
Tuesday, 06 February 2007

If you haven’t been told the results of your x-ray or scan, contact your hospital or GP surgery.

Don’t assume there is nothing you need to know.

The National Patient Safety Agency promotes safer healthcare by collecting and analysing information about patient safety incidents from staff and patients. Further information can be obtained from www.npsa.nhs.uk.

They have issued two useful documents for patients:

Patient Briefing XRays :  Patient Flyer XRays